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BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)—The United States lost to Portugal 8-1 Monday, completing the Futsal World Cup with four straight losses and a last-place finish in its group. Russia, behind nine goals from Pula, routed the Solomon Islands 31-2, the biggest victory margin since FIFA began organizing the competition in 1989. The Solomon Islands, Oceania’s lone participant in the 20-team tournament, lost 21-0 to Brazil last week and has been outscored 69-4 in its four defeats. Russia is second in Group A with six points, three fewer than Brazil. The Russians will secure a second-round berth if they win their last first-round match Wednesday against Japan, a 4-1 winner over Cuba. The top two teams in each of the four groups make the second round. Brazil and Spain are the only nations to have won the Futsal World Cup in the five tournaments played since 1989. Futsal is played in two 20-minute periods on a surface about the size of a basketball court.
Tags: Futsal World Cup
Qatari real estate firm, Al Emadi Enterprises, has signed as the ‘golden sponsor’ of Qatar’s leading club football knock-out competitions, the Emir’s Cup and the Heir Apparent’s Cup, for the fourth season in succession. The deal for the two tournaments, which are held at the end of Qatar National League every season, was signed by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, president of Qatar Football Association, and Mohammed Al Emadi, managing director of Al Emadi Enterprises, at the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) headquarters. “Al Emadi Enterprises has been supporting all major sport events, with football receiving special backing," said Al Emadi. “We are the largest private Qatari company to be involved in sports like this. We back other sports like volleyball, basketball, table tennis and handball, and are associated with these disciplines during various tournaments or during the national leagues of these sports. Al Emadi continued, “Al Emadi Enterprises lays special emphasis on national teams of Qatar. When Qatar national team won the Asian Games gold medal, Al Emadi Enterprise was the first national private entity to reward the team." Last year, Al Emadi Enterprises was given a special award by QOC for ‘providing the largest support to sports events in Qatar’.
www.worldsoccerconnection.net
Tags: Qatar Soccer Cups
World player of the year Kaka paid tribute to club and international team-mate Ronaldo on Thursday, claiming he is still 'Il Fenomeno'.
That nickname, meaning the phenomenon, was more common for Ronaldo in his younger days but injuries, lack of form and weight problems have seen him struggle with his form these last couple of seasons.
He was even unkindly nicknamed 'El Gordo' (the fat one) by some sections of the Real Madrid crowd towards the end of his stay in Spain.
But he made a match-winning comeback to the AC Milan team last weekend, scoring twice as the European champions thrashed Napoli 5-2 to end their seven-game winless drought at the San Siro.
Ronaldo formed a threatening attacking partnership with Kaka and teenage star Pato.
"It's always great to play with great players. Here at Milan we have so many champions that it's great to go out on the field with my team-mates," Kaka told Milan TV.
"I've had a few chances to play with Ronaldo in the national team and he really is 'Il Fenomeno' like everyone says because he does amazing things with the ball and when he takes to the field he shows his worth and always makes the difference."
Kaka has was also impressed with Pato's goalscoring debut against Napoli.
"I'm happy for his debut, it went very well. All strikers dream about scoring on their debut and he manged to do just that, and at the San Siro in front of our fans.
"We hope he continues like that and fits into the team's way of playing. He's a calm lad, he's playing in a team with a lot of experience that can help him a lot so he gets even better."
(AFP) Thursday 17 January 2008
Tags: Kaka Ronaldo
Written by: AFP
LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea's Salomon Kalou revealed Monday that Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Eboue had apologised to Blues captain John Terry for a tackle which threatens to keep the England centre-half on the sidelines during the busy Christmas and New Year period.
Terry sustained an ankle injury after being challenged by Eboue during Arsenal's 1-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium here on Sunday.
Kalou said he'd spoken with fellow Ivory Coast international Eboue after the match. "I was saying to Eboue that it was a red card because he did it on purpose - but he denied that.
"He said he tried to block the ball and it was not on purpose. He said sorry to John. He didn't mean to do it, but to apologise was a nice thing to do.
"John will be a big loss and is very important to the squad. We will miss him and it will be difficult to do it without him but we have the players to do that," Kalou added.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant said after the game he believed Terry had sustained ligament damage rather than a break although he would know more after the defender had undergone a scan on Monday.
Arsenal's win ensured they stay top of the Premier League by a point from Manchester United and left Chelsea in third place, six points off the lead.
Tags: Arsenal Eboue Terry Chelsea
[WEEKEND HEADLINERS] Amid speculation that Ronaldinho is unhappy and wants to move after starting the last two games on the bench, Barcelona played up the Brazilian's value to the team. Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic played down talk of Inter Milan walking away with another Italian league title. Embattled Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce hopes the Magpies can build upon Wednesday's 1-1 draw with English Premier League leader Arsenal. In Germany, leader Bayern Munich is considering its winter moves with the mid-season break only two weeks away. MATCH/ BARCELONA-DEPORTIVO CORUNABarcelona welcomes back Samuel Eto'o, who is expected to start against Coruna on Saturday after a three-month layoff with a thigh injury, but the big story at La Liga's second-place team concerns the status of Ronaldinho. The Brazilian has come off the Barca bench for the last two games, further fueling speculation that he might be on his way out during the January transfer window. With brother and agent Roberto de Assis in Barcelona this week, reports have appeared in the Barcelona press that Ronaldinho's situation is now "untenable." "Because of circumstances of injuries and because of travel with his national team," says Barca president Joan Laporta, "he hasn't been at full strength in training and hasn't found his rhythm, but I don't believe he's a substitute. He's a key player, and Rijkaard knows it." Laporta was, of course, referring to Barca coach Frank Rijkaard, viewed in some quarters to be the bad guy in the Ronaldinho saga.
"I'm working so that we see the best Ronaldinho return and that it will be with Barcelona," Rijkaard said. "Now he has to concentrate and show what a great player he is. And that is what he is doing."
TV
GOL TV, BARCELONA-DEPORTIVO CORUNA, Saturday (live), 3 pm ET.
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Tags: The Ronaldinhosoap Operasoccerfootball
by Ridge Mahoney, Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 7:00 AM ET Reached late on Tuesday night Los Angeles president and general manager Alexi Lalas wouldn't comment on reports the Galaxy is hiring as new head coach former Dutch international Ruud Gullit. But Lalas did say that there could be news from the club as early as Wednesday. The 45-year old has been out of coaching and working in television since leaving Feyenoord, one of his former clubs as a player, two and a half years ago. He coached English Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle from 1996 to 1999. Both EPL departures were acrimonious yet in May, 1997 he brought Chelsea its first trophy, the FA Cup, in 36 years. Tall, strong, athletic, and skilled, a melding of muscle and elegance topped by a flying mane of dreadlocks, he drove the Dutch national team to its European Championship crown in 1988 and having played for Haarlem, Feyenoord and PSV, moved to AC Milan, as part of a Dutch drietal that included Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard. Van Basten is coach of the Dutch national team, Rijkaard leads Barcelona. Gullit's former teammates certainly aren't slumming as coaches. With Milan Gullit helped it win back-to-back European Cups (now the Champions' League) in 1989 and 1990. Somewhat cynically, Milan, believing he wouldn't recover fully from a serious knee injury, sold him to Sampdoria, then brought him back. He briefly returned to Sampdoria, then went to Chelsea, eventually replacing former England international Glenn Hoddle as manager while continuing to play part-time. As a player and manager, in the best Dutch tradition, Gullit could be enthrallingly brilliant and maddeningly stubborn. He infuriated Dutch fans by abandoning the national team on the eve of the 1994 World Cup, citing nothing more substantial than differences with the manager, Dick Advocaat. He left Feyenoord with a year on his coaching contract still to run. Nine months after winning that FA Cup with Chelsea, he resigned in frustration over the club's refusal to negotiate a new contract. Poor results drove him out of Newcastle. In a 2001 interview with ESPN Soccernet, he said, "Being a football manager is no fun at all. You have to put up with all the hassle. It's not surprising that so many turn grey or have heart attacks. I enjoyed working with the players, creating the team - that was fun. But all the rest I hated." Lalas dropped a HDC-sized hint by mentioning he wanted a "high-profile, sexy type of candidate." Of course, he could have meant Beckham, but it's Gullit who popularized the phrase "sexy football" during his coaching stints in England. Whatever the Galaxy was in 2007, even with Beckham, sexy wasn't it. The Galaxy quest may be assisted by former French international Franck Leboeuf, who played with and for Gullit at Chelsea and for the past few years has been living in Southern California. LeBoeuf, who regularly attends Galaxy games, told me during a game at HDC last year that Gullit instilled club pride and a winning tradition at Chelsea, which for decades had lured fading big names who seldom lived up to their paychecks. Might Lalas be turning up the heat on other candidates, such as Juergen Klinsmann, by this pursuit of Gullit? Perhaps. But certainly Lalas desperately needs a iconic figure to revive his team and rightly or wrongly Frank Yallop paid the price for not getting it done. Yallop is happier in San Jose. Can LA find joy in Ruud Gullit, and vice versa? I hope we get the chance to find out. Work it may not, but sexy it will be.
Tags: Ruud GullitlalasLA Galaxy
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