Category: News

27 November 2012 16:09

Former Inter Milan forward Alvaro Recoba has been in impressive form for Uruguayan outfit Nacional, spearheading his team’s title bid.

The attacking midfielder has been integral in the Montevideo club’s charge up the standings in the Uruguayan top flight, with Nacional sitting in third place and just four points behind leaders Penarol after 13 games.

After an inconsistent career in Europe that saw him contracted to Inter between 1997 and 2008, Recoba, who also had loan stints with Venezia and Torino during his 11 year stay in Italy, has enjoyed success back in his homeland despite being 36 years of age.

The former Uruguay international, who netted 11 goals in 69 appearances for his national side, has scored on four occasions for Nacional this term.

Nacional host mid-table Wanderers in the next round of the Primeira Division and will be looking for a third successive win in the league.

27 November 2012 15:50

South Africa coach Gordon Igesund is unlikely to head back to Europe ahead of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Igesund was planning to go and see the clubs of various South African players based in Greece, Belgium and Holland to negotiate their early release for the tournament in his homeland.

The coach is hoping to have all his players in camp by January 1 to give him a full 18 days of build-up before they play their opener against Cape Verde on January 19 at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

But injuries to the likes of Daylon Claasen and Thulani Serero, as well as a change in thinking over selection means he might not need to make the trip.

“I am in constant contact with the players and their coaches, so the need for me to go there at the moment does not exist,” Igesund said.

“Guys like Claasen and Serero are coming back from injuries and we need to find out first if they will be fit to play in the tournament before I travel to Europe to negotiate with their clubs.

“It would be a wasted exercise for me to go there and we then find out they will not be available. So for the moment there are no trips planned, but we will see how things develop.

“I talk to the guys all the time and I know exactly how they are doing.”

Igesund and his assistant coach, Serame Letsoaka, were in England earlier this month to speak to various players and their clubs about their release for the continental showpiece.

The trip was a success, with Dean Furman and Kagisho Dikgacoi of Oldham Athletic and Crystal Palace respectively being given permission to report for camp in early January.

South Africa will also hold a pre-Christmas camp in Durban from December 21-24, where they are likely to play a friendly international on December 22 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

27 November 2012 15:40

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm says his side have the depth needed to cover for injured players at the back line.

The Bavarians have had to make do without the likes of Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber and Daniel Van Buyten at various points this term, but coach Jupp Heynckes now has plenty of options at his disposal again.

“For the position of centre-back, Jerome has been injured, while Holger and Daniel have been unavailable, too. We now have plenty of option again, that’s clear,” Lahm told Goal.com.

“It’s a matter of finding the best option now. We’ll see how it pans out from there on. Dante is a good player, but Holger and Jerome have shown in the past what they can do, while the same counts for Daniel Van Buyten.”

Heynckes showed the versatility at his disposal by opting for a centre-back pairing of Badstuber and Dante in the 5-0 win over Hannover on Saturday.

Bayern have conceded only five goals in 13 Bundesliga games this term.

27 November 2012 15:30

Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill has welcomed new QPR boss Harry Redknapp back to the Premier League, hailing him ‘a very fine manager’.

Redknapp takes charge of the relegation-threatened QPR for the first time against O’Neill’s struggling side on Tuesday.

Sunderland have taken just 12 points from as many games, with O’Neill forced to clarify his own position after rumours of his possible resignation spread on Saturday.

Redknapp has been tasked with guiding QPR away from an increasingly desperate situation as the London side look for their first win of the Premier League campaign, and O’Neill is certain the 65-year-old will once again prove himself an astute tactician.

“He (Redknapp) is a very fine manager, he has proved that,” O’Neill told reporters.

“The majority of us here in the room might well have thought he was going to be the next England manager, so well had he done at Tottenham Hotspur.

“It wasn’t to be, but he is a very fine manager and he will bring all of his experience to bear. He’s back in football and he is a talented man.”

Focusing on Tuesday’s game, O’Neill was keen to emphasise his side’s recent upturn in fortunes in front of goal and insisted that Sunderland must take advantage of their home fixtures if they are too build momentum.

“It’s up to us to go to the game and play as strongly as we have done in the last number of games,” he said.

“We have been able to score six goals in the last three matches, so that’s another positive for us.

“The league is very, very tight and very few points separate a lot of the teams at this moment, so as Southampton have proved, two consecutive wins put you right back in proper contention and for us, it is just a case of go and win at home.”

27 November 2012 15:20

MLS commissioner Don Garber has revealed the clause allowing David Beckham to buy into a franchise does not extend to New York Red Bulls.

Beckham will leave the United States after playing for LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup this weekend, and has hinted he will return to the league once his playing days come to an end.

“Anything’s a possibility other than his (Beckham’s) right to exercise that option in New York,” Garber told reporters.

“Major League Soccer has been looking at the possibility of expanding in New York since the league was founded in ’96.

“There was a concept of having two teams in the league way back then. We knew when we were speaking with David and (Beckham’s agent) Simon Fuller that eventually we would have an opportunity in New York regardless of the role that David played in helping grow the league.”

Garger also hailed Beckham’s impact on football in the United States, but insisted that the MLS has now gained enough credibility to thrive without the former England captain playing there.

He added: “We needed David Beckham in 2007 to help drive our credibility, to help grow our popularity and to show the world really that the United States … was ready to support a division one league.

“We don’t need anything today to get us to the next level. I have no regrets whatsoever in any aspect of this deal.”