Category: Section 2 Around the Net

After Tuesday's loss to Manchester United in the Champions League semifinal, Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor urged his club to spend big money on top signings at the end of the season or risk increasing its trophy-less spell. "I think we have taken a step backward," Adebayor is quoted as saying by The Daily Mail. "Not […]

While the biggest concern for most national team coaches often involves injuries to star players, Palestine coach Izzat Hamzeh worries about more basic problems, like assembling enough players for a team. Negotiating players' exits from Gaza and the West Bank makes this feat difficult, especially for away matches. On Tuesday, Hamzeh managed to gather a […]

On Tuesday Newcastle suspended Joey Barton "until further notice" in a move that portends an end to the midfielder’s career at the club. The announcement followed reports of a locker-room confrontation with interim head coach Alan Shearer in the wake of Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield. Shearer had publicly accused Barton of letting […]

Marco Van Basten has resigned as coach of Ajax Amsterdam after the club failed to qualify for next season’s European Champions League. Van Basten announced his resignation after a stunning 4-0 loss to Sparta of Rotterdam, a result that knocked Ajax out of European contention. “How in god’s name is it possible that we cannot […]

While South Africa has witnessed a spectacular demand for tickets to next summer’s World Cup, the country hopes demand will increase for next month’s Confederations Cup. Around 340,000 of the 640,000 tickets for the competition have been sold. FIFA and South Africa’s Local Organizing Committee hope that selling tickets more directly to the South African […]

"The eyewitnesses, the person who just missed in front and the person right behind us couldn't believe it. They were touching us. They were like 'We can't believe you are alive. How did you make it?'" Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo recalls a near-tragic car accident while driving his family to the April 23 Wizards […]

Yes, the Fire is the only unbeaten team through the first seven league games. But having tied five of those games, two after jumping out to a lead at home, Chicago wants more points. "Being unbeaten doesn't mean anything," Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch said. "Yeah, we are undefeated, but we are in games where we […]

Thierry Henry will miss Barcelona's Champions League semifinal encounter with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. The French forward scored two goals against Real Madrid over the weekend but picked up a knee injury in the second half that proved more serious than originally thought. In addition to missing the crucial clash with Chelsea, Henry […]

Manchester United has made a stunning offer of about $93 million for the Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery. Sources in Munich confirmed the bid has been received for the France international, who has made his desire to leave Germany known in the past few weeks. United's offer, which comfortably eclipses the record $66 million paid […]

Didier Deschamps will replace Eric Gerets as Marseille coach starting next season. Marseille announced on its web site Tuesday that Deschamps, a former France midfielder, has agreed to a two-year contract and will start in June. The 40-year-old Deschamps returns to management after quitting Juventus at the end of the 2006-2007 season, when he guided […]

Jorge Larrionda, the referee who sent off three players in the United States' group stage draw with Italy at the 2006 World Cup, will work the Confederations Cup in South Africa this June. The Uruguayan, who had dismissed Italian Daniele De Rossi and Americans Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope with 47 minutes played of the […]

In what will go down as the greatest ever Greek Cup final, Olympiakos won the Greek Cup 15-14 on penalties after a 4-4 draw, two red cards and 120 minutes of drama at the OAKA Spiros Louis Stadium in Athens on Saturday. Englishman Matt Derbyshire, whose arrival to Olympiakos had been met with mixed reactions […]

American businessman Stan Kroenke has become Arsenal’s biggest shareholder after increasing his stake in the Premier League club to 28.3 percent. Already a director at the club, Kroenke increased his holding Friday from 20.5 percent by buying out the Carr family’s stake. The next largest shareholder is Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who owns more than […]

The South American confederation Conmebol suspended Guadalajara defender Hector Reynoso for the remainder of the 2009 Copa Libertadores tournament for spitting on Everton's Sebastian Penco. The H1N1 flu outbreak, which caused a suspension of Chivas' second-round game against Sao Paulo, may have compounded the severity of the incident. After a scuffle broke out late in […]

"Barcelona is playing great soccer and has the quality and potential to win the Champions League. We couldn't beat Chelsea at home but we're confident we can go on from here and take things step by step, all the while respecting our rivals. I won't be able to be a part of things over the […]

Anton Peterlin, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s senior captain, has been offered a contract by Everton of the English Premier League after spending 10 days in March on trial in Liverpool. Peterlin, a San Francisco native, earned a tryout after a steady season last year for Ventura County Fusion in the USL’s Premier Development League. […]

The most marketable soccer property in the USA isn’t American; it’s Mexican. The Mexican national team, also known as “El Tri,” plays numerous games a year in the USA that regularly outdraw games played by the U.S. national team. And millions of Latinos from across multiple generations tune in to Mexican games on Telemundo and […]

Although the Houston Dynamo beat the Revolution in two consecutive MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007, the team had never beaten the Revs in a regular-season game until a 2-0 victory on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. “It was probably our most consistent and all-around performance [of the year],” Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said. “I still […]

English Premier League club Fulham will travel to Australia to face Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory in July ahead of the start of the A-League season. Another English squad, Wolverhampton Wanderers, which recently qualified for next season’s Premier League, will face the Glory and Robbie Fowler‘s North Queensland Fury. “This is an historic and momentous […]

"Everybody is focused and ready for the game," declared Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger ahead of Tuesday's clash with Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. "We are all aware it is our team performance that will be important rather than the responsibility on any individual. I am very confident the team […]

As part of an ongoing series, FIFA.com delves into some of oddest, goofiest and most manic superstitions of players around the world – present and past. About his slew of habits, Chelsea captain John Terry says: “I always sit in the same seat on the team bus, I always wrap tape round my socks three […]

Major League Soccer Philadelphia 2010 will unveil key pieces to the identity of the league’s newest club at Philadelphia’s City Hall on May 11. Hosted by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, the ceremony will unveil the club’s name, colors, logo and ticket pricing. “We’ve created an authentic brand that reflects Philadelphia’s deep-rooted history and the wealth […]

Boca Juniors of Argentina and Ecuador's Deportivo Cuenca clinched the last two places in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 on Thursday. Boca trounced Venezuelan club Deportivo Tachira 3-0 in Buenos Aires to top Group 2, while Cuenca qualified by finishing second in the group after drawing 1-1 at Guarani of Paraguay. The knockout round […]

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand could be available for next week’s Champions League semifinal at Arsenal. Tests cleared the center back of a cracked rib and serious injury. “It’s good news with Rio – it is not a cracked bone,” said United head coach Alex Ferguson, whose team beat Arsenal, 1-0, in the first leg. […]

Beitar Jerusalem, the defending champion of the Israeli Premier League, was penalized a point and ordered to play a home match in an empty stadium after fans shouted anti-Arab slogans at a game against Maccabi Petah Tikva in April. Earlier this season, the league deducted two points from Beitar for fan violence. These penalties have […]