°°°°°°°°°°FOOTBALL NEWS°°°°°°°°°° Germany coach Joachim Low was full of praise after his youthful team played out a goalless draw with Poland on Tuesday. A record 12 players were handed debuts, with eight named in the starting line-up as Germany continued their preparations for next months FIFA World Cup, drawing against Poland in an international friendly at Imtech Arena in Hamburg. The likes Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels were all absent, while star striker Robert Lewandowski was also missing for Poland. But Low could not contain his delight post-game, having introduced debutants Max Meyer, Leon Goretzka, Kevin Volland, Shkodran Mustafi and Christian Gunter to senior international football as they bid to make the final 23-man squad. Benfica striker Rodrigo rubbished suggestions the Portuguese club is cursed on Tuesday, ahead of the UEFA Europa League final. Last season, Benfica were in the hunt for a treble, as they led the Portuguese Primeira Liga with two rounds to go and were set to play Chelsea in the Europa League final and Vitoria Guimaraes in the Taca de Portugal. But in just over a fortnight, all three of those trophies slipped through the fingers of Jorge Jesus men, as Porto defeated Benfica 2-1 in their penultimate league game to leapfrog the Lisbon club in the standings, before they lost by the same scoreline to Chelsea and Vitoria. Fast forward 12 months and Benfica have claimed their first league title in four seasons, they lifted the Taca da Liga late last month with a penalty-shootout triumph over Portugal, and they await deciding matches in the Europa League and Taca de Portugal again, which could see them claim a historic four trophies in one campaign. Portugal coach Paulo Bento said he is confident star attacker Cristiano Ronaldo will be fit for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Ronaldo, 29, has battled muscle and thigh problems at Real Madrid this season, causing him to most recently miss Reals 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo that ruled the Spanish powerhouse out of La Liga title contention. Bento said it was not panic stations for Portugal, as they looked to micro-manage their superstar. At the moment we just need to see how things go and see what state hell arrive in. Then well do the best we can to manage his condition, he told DPA Agency. Bento added he had no say in Reals decision to rest Ronaldo in their recent La Liga outing, although the club has its own agenda in keeping him fit - with the UEFA Champions League final on the horizon. Former Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven midfielder Park Ji-sung announced his retirement from football on Wednesday. The 33-year-old, who represented South Korea 100 times at international level, revealed his decision at the JS Football Center in Seoul - the headquarters of Parks own foundation, which helps develop football infrastructure around the world. Park spent the past season at PSV - his first European club - on loan from QPR and made 27 appearances across all competitions, scoring two goals as the Dutch side finished fourth in the Eredivisie. But the South Korean, who captained his country from 2008 until his retirement from international football in 2011, made his name at United in the Premier League, playing 203 matches in all competitions and scoring 28 goals between 2005 and 2012, when he moved to QPR. Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has confirmed he is bound to exit Eastlands. The 26-time England international has not been offered a contract extension to remain with the Premier League champions, and is eyeing a move to a lower-profile club. The 31-year-old former Wolverhampton and Everton man said he departs Manchester with no regrets. It is the end. I know Im going to be leaving, Lescott said. Weve had a good relationship, this club has been a big part of me. As far as Im concerned its the end. If something changed then great but if not there are no hard feelings between me and the club. Ive had a great relationship with them. Brazil head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has denied allegations of tax evasion after Portuguese authorities opened a criminal investigation. According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo , the Portuguese government are probing Scolari over €7million worth of unpaid taxes that were allegedly unreported by the World-Cup winning coach during his spell in charge of Portugal between 2003 and 2008. The 65-year-old is also suspected of money laundering involving companies in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands. However, Scolari rejected the accusations in a statement released by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Tuesday. Wayne Rooney is confident England can etch their names into the history books when the FIFA World Cup gets underway next month. Not much is expected of England in Brazil, especially after Roy Hodgson named the second-youngest squad in the nations history on Monday. But speaking to the Mirror , Rooney backed his team-mates to advance ahead of Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D and add to their maiden World Cup triumph, which was back in 1966. We can all be heroes, Rooney said. Its our chance to make history for our country and you dont get many opportunities. There was no room for Juventus star Carlos Tevez as Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella named his provisional 30-man FIFA World Cup squad. Tevez was overlooked for the event in Brazil on Tuesday, despite scoring 19 Serie A goals to lead Juventus to their third consecutive league title this season. The 30-year-old, capped 64 times by Argentina, has not represented the national team since Sabella took charge after the 2011 Copa America. While Tevez missed the cut, Franco Di Santo was surprisingly included despite scoring just four Bundesliga goals for Werder Bremen this season. Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis all won selection, just two days after the club celebrated their Premier League triumph. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti feels honoured to have the chance to lead the club to a landmark UEFA Champions League title. Ancelottis men face city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon a week on Saturday. Victory for Real would see them win Europes premier club competition for a record 10th time in their history and end a 12-year wait for the much-coveted Decima . Italian Ancelotti has already won the Champions League twice with Milan as a player in 1989 and 1990 and twice as a manager in 2003 and 2007, but the 54-year-old believes that having the opportunity to guide Real to an historic triumph takes on an extra significance. UEFA president Michel Platini has called on all of the governing bodys member associations to apply a zero-tolerance policy towards racism. The issue has come under the spotlight in recent weeks due to incidents involving Dani Alves of Barcelona and Milans Kevin Constant, who each had bananas thrown at them from the crowd in games at Villarreal and Atalanta respectively. Villarreal and Atalanta have since been punished, with the Spanish side fined €12,000 and the latter docked €40,000 and ordered to close their Curva Nord section for one game, although the second sanction has been suspended for one year. The UEFA congress agreed last year that all incidents of racism must be punished by partial stadium closure for a first occurrence, and by full stadium closure and a fine of €50,000 for a second such offence by supporters. Chelsea captain John Terry has ended speculation over his future by signing a new one-year contract at Stamford Bridge. The former England skipper was one of three high-profile Chelsea players - together with Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard - who ended the Premier League campaign facing uncertainty over whether they would remain at Stamford Bridge. However, while it remains to be seen if Lampard and Cole agree new deals, Terry will definitely spend a further 12 months with the team he first represented in October 1998 after joining as a trainee at the age of 14. Im delighted to have signed an extension to my contract with Chelsea taking me into my 20th year with the club, Terry told the clubs official website. Romelu Lukaku feels a second season of regular first-team football has seen him improve a lot as a player. The Belgium international - confirmed as a member of his countrys FIFA World Cup squad on Tuesday - has enjoyed a second successive season out on loan from parent club Chelsea. After spending the 2012-13 campaign at West Brom, where he scored 17 goals in 35 Premier League appearances, Lukaku proved similarly productive for Everton, finding the net 15 times in 31 outings to help fire Roberto Martinezs men to fifth and a place in next seasons UEFA Europa League. Kaka has reiterated his desire to stay at Milan for another season to play his part in making the club a force once again. The Brazilian returned for a second spell at San Siro on a two-year contract last September following a frustrating spell at Real Madrid. Kaka is regarded as a Milan legend as a result of his exploits with the Serie A club before making a big-money move to the Bernabeu in 2009. Reports have suggested the playmaker could move to MLS expansion franchise Orlando City in the close-season. But the 32-year-old is determined to see Milan compete for honours in the 2014-15 campaign following a frustrating season in which Clarence Seedorf replaced Massimiliano Allegri as coach. He told Rai 3: My desire is to stay for one more year, Tim Sherwood has left Tottenham after the club opted to exercise a break clause in his contract. Sherwood moved up from his role in Spurs youth set-up to replace the sacked Andre Villas-Boas in December, eventually leading the club to sixth in the Premier League. However, his tenure has been littered with rumours he would be replaced at the end of the campaign, despite signing an 18-month contract at White Hart Lane. Club chairman, Daniel Levy, said: We appointed Tim mid-season as someone who knew both the players and the club. We agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that option. On behalf of the club, I should like to state our thanks for all his efforts during his years with us. We wish him great success in his managerial career.
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 06:37:38 +0000
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