Category: Section 2 Around the Net

A UEFA panel ratified the decision made by the Italian Football Federation to reinstate disgraced club AC Milan to Champions League qualifying. The club was initially banned from the competition and then reinstated on appeal. An emergency panel was called by European soccer’s governing party to determine whether the club, which had been found guilty […]

New Brazilian coach Dunga controversially left off Carlos Alberto Parreira’s ‘Magic quartet,” Ronaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Adriano, from his 22-man squad for the team’s friendly against Norway Aug. 16 in Oslo. Dunga retained just 8 members of Brazil’s World Cup squad — Robinho, Juan, Lucio, Luisao, Cicinho, Gilberto, Gilberto Silva and Fred. Dunga said these […]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits there’s only one Roy Keane, and while his big boots have proven impossible to fill these last few seasons, Ferguson believes new signing Michael Carrick could be the next best thing. “You can’t replace Roy Keane – we’ve been trying for five years. Michael’s an excellent footballer and […]

French World Cup defender William Gallas is in the doghouse at Chelsea after failing to turn in up in Los Angeles as part of the club’s pre-season preparations in the U.S. Both Gallas and new signing Michael Ballack had been given added time off after the World Cup, but a request to have his holiday […]

Finally, The Observer Monthly’s Jason Burke sheds some light on what exactly it means when we say that Juventus, Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina have been found guilty of match-fixing. Several reports have alluded to the so-called “match-fixing ring” lead by former Juventus GM Luciano Moggi, but few, if any, have gone in-depth into what exactly […]

Patrick Vieira looks to be on his way to Inter Milan, but not before the former Arsenal man fanned the flames of speculation by revealing that interest from Manchester United flattered him. “Every player wants to appear for a club like Manchester United at the highest level,” Vieira was quoted as saying in several reports. […]

Some say there’s tremendous pressure while others say the first day on the job could have been a lot worse for Steve McClaren, the new England coach. Like if they won it all in Germany, for example. Instead, the former Middlesbrough manager’s task will be a more psychological one, says the Telegraph’s Alan Smith. “Following […]

In an effort to stamp out the growing problem of racism in club soccer, players who make racist remarks or gestures on the field will receive bans, while clubs whose supporters chant racist remarks will face fines, according to new disciplinary regulations announced today by UEFA. Any player who insults another on grounds of color, […]

Over in LA, Chelsea took time out of their team-bonding trip to declare they would welcome Ashley Cole to Stamford Bridge with open arms. The Telegraph says the players’ willingness to go on the record about a possible move means that Chelsea is reasonably certain it will sign the left-back from Arsenal by the end […]

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that the Italian soccer season will get underway on August 27 as scheduled. Earlier today, Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina, three of the four clubs indicted by a sports tribunal for their involvement in a match-fixing ring, presented their appeals to Italy’s CONI Court of Conciliation and Arbitration with the hope that […]

A very speculative Football Italia report suggests that Milan could be lining up an enormous bid for a new star, possibly Ronaldinhoor anyone else for that matter who would command a transfer fee of up to $150 million. AC Milan general director Ariedo Braida fanned the flames of expectation by declaring there would be a […]

D.C. United is easily the deepest team in MLS, says the Washington Post, with the best record in the league, and more than one player at every position, writes the Washington Post. Even Alecko Eskandarian knows he isn’t guaranteed starting place, as coach Peter Nowak has an abundance of depth in his squad and isn’t […]

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi says he didn’t watch the World Cup anymore after Argentina crashed out on penalties against hosts Germany in the quarterfinal. ‘After we lost to Germany, I didn’t watch any more World Cup games,’ he told Argentine television. “I didn’t know about anything that was going on. The final? I didn’t watch […]

A new-look Real Madrid could present a stiff challenge to Barcelona’s efforts at a third successive La Liga title, Barca sports director Txiki Beguiristain conceded. “We are conscious of our own strengths but also of the difficulties we face with the new management now in place at Real Madrid,” he said on Barcelona’s Web site. […]

World Cup sponsors are allocated too many tickets, an England supporter’s group said, telling FIFA it should take action to ensure that more tickets are reserved for fans in the future. “The percentage of tickets going to sponsors was equivalent to twice the number of tickets going to fans which we all found completely unacceptable,” […]

It’s been a busy 24 hours for Manchester United: shortly after former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was unveiled at Real Madrid, United was reported to have paid a fee between $20 and $30 million for Tottenham midfielder Michael Carrick. He is expected to complete a medical and be formally presented by the club sometime next […]

AC Milan, which was found guilty of fixing matches during this past season, has been forced to dodge another bullet after being reinstated to the UEFA Champions League by the Italian Soccer Federation. UEFA isn’t certain Milan should be allowed to participate in this year’s competition given the club’s indictment, calling an “emergency panel” to […]

Frank Lampard, Chelsea’s top scorer last season and the man Coach Jose Mourinho once said Real Madrid could not afford, is now seeking a new deal with the South London club, although none appears to be arriving anytime soon, the Times Online reports. Lampard had “a miserable World Cup,” putting in several sub-par performances during […]

If Juventus coach Didier Deschamps has his way, no more players will be leaving Turin club. “No-one is going anywhere. The club’s directors have decided that those under contract will stay at Juve, even in Serie B,” Deschamps told La Gazzetta dello Sport earlier today. He affirmed that the club would win promotion and be […]

English club Aston Villa, which has been on the block for a few weeks now, has been linked with three potential suitors: one a life-long fan, another a U.S. billionaire who owns the Cleveland Browns, and the third is Sven-Goran Eriksson, England’s former head coach. The battle for the Birmingham club took an interesting turn […]

At long last, Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has completed his move to Real Madrid, the club reported on its Web site earlier today. No details were released about the size of the transfer but it is rumored to be in the neighborhood of $19 million. This would be well-below United’s asking price of […]

Real have lodged in a final bid for Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The player clearly wants to go, and as much as Real Madrid wants him, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson won’t budge on a high $28 million transfer fee. The British press is running several conflicting reports as to the value of […]

Here’s a headline to catch advertisers’ attention: “World Cup ratings equal 64 Super Bowls.” As eye-catching a headline as that is, there are two caveats: one, with the World Cup, we’re talking about a truly worldwide audience, and two, that figure represents an average of the event’s combined audience after 64 games. In other words, […]

Inter Milan was officially awarded the 2005-06 Italian league title on Wednesday, the Italian soccer federation said after both Juventus and AC Milan were deducted points for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal. Inter finished third last season, 15 points behind Juventus, which won the title with a record-breaking 91 points. This is Inter’s first […]

There are big problems in little MLS, writes J. Hutcherson of the US National Soccer Team Player’s Association. Two MLS clubs are failing to show adequate growth after investing in new stadiums, new attendance problems abound for New England and now Columbus, two more clubs are talking openly about relocating, and things still haven’t gotten […]