16 February 2005 Keane Takes Snipe At Diver Cole In an interview with Manchester United's official magazine captain Roy Keane has taken a snipe at Arsenal defender Ashley Cole after his theatrical dive in the box during the clash at Highbury earlier this month : "I wasn't quite sure what he was up to. If I had known, I might have reacted differently. Before the game there was all this stuff about anti-racism and anti-bullying but it would be a good idea to start wearing wristbands for anti-diving. It's not just about foreign players because Ashley Cole is English but it's something that has crept into The Premiership. Players are going down far too easily and it seems to be getting worse." Benitez Loses Patience Rafa Benitez has, for the first time, publicly criticised the performance of his team following their dismal display against Birmingham : "I have come here to work hard and I expect everyone else to do the same. We must accept the Birmingham game was bad and not the kind of performance we want in future. I don't want to spend time here without trophies. It's not enough for me to see my side play well in one or two games. I want consistency and that means everyone working harder. I told the players this week that when I decided to join this club I took it on as a challenge. I have not come to Liverpool to earn money. We all have to accept responsibility and do everything we possibly can to make a strong team, not only in the future but from now. After the Birmingham game I felt very disappointed and it was the same the day after. I watched the video of the match and analysed what happened. On Monday we spoke to the players and told them we must change our mentality. You can't have a team which always plays good sometimes and bad others. What makes it worse is we went into the Birmingham game knowing Everton had lost earlier, so we had a chance to close the gap." Fletcher Sidelined Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher could be out of action for two months after a knee injury in the Manchester derby last week. Wenger Wants Bergkamp to go out on Top "There is no question that if he is playing like this at the end of the season he will carry on. We don't change our attitude after every good game because we could change it after a bad game as well. He wants to play on for as long as possible, which I understand, but also what you have to respect is that we don't spoil the end of his career. He has done so well for us over the years that I want to make sure he is remembered as a true legend here. You never see him drinking, you never see him out and, between 30 and 37, that will make a huge difference. He will be 36 in May. To play up front at that age, you don't find that. I think he gets rewarded for the quality of his life." UEFA Warning For Clubs Who Fail Home-grown Quota "The sanction is fairly simple. If you don't have the four and four (academy and association) for 2008-2009 your squad (for UEFA competitions) will be cut by the number of players that do not meet the criteria." - Uefa spokesman William Gaillard UEFA define an academy player as a player aged between 15 and 21 who has been registered for a minimum of three seasons with that club. An association trained player is a player aged between 15 and 21 who has been registered for at least three seasons by any clubs in the same association. Hoyzer Tested Match Fixing Against Middlesbrough Robert Hoyzer, the referee arrested on suspicion of match fixing, told TV Berlin that he fixed Hansa Rostock's 3-1 pre season friendly victory over Middlesbrough as a 'test'. In the match report posted on the clubs website Middlesbrough described some of the incidents : "Job found the net with a carbon copy of his Carling Cup final goal only to be denied by a lineman's flag that looked doubtful to say the least." "David Rasmussen went down (winning a penalty) after Parlour appeared to win the ball cleanly in the box." Hoyzer is said to have received €1000 for fixing the match. Deco Critical of Chelsea Tsunami Snub Barcelona's Deco has alleged that his former Porto coach, Jose Mourinho, was responsible for Chelsea players John Terry, Frank Lampard and Geremi's failure to take part in Tuesday's football for hope match : "All players really wanted to play in this game. It's certain that Mourinho had something to do with them not coming." Manchester United and Chelsea were the only major European clubs not to have any players represented. Mexes Banned for Six Games Roma defender Philippe Mexes has been banned for six games after FIFA finally responded to a case brought forward by his former club Auxerre. Mexes, who has been a monumental flop at Roma, walked out on Auxerre at the end of the 2003-20004 season, claiming a clause in his contract meant he was free to leave. Auxerre have been demanding compensation and a ban for the 22 year old defender. Madsen Banned for Knee to the Gut Bochum forward Peter Madsen will be suspended for four weeks after being found guilty of kneeing Dortmund defender Christian Worns in the gut during the Bundesliga match at the weekend. Television footage was used to convict Madsen after the incident was missed by the referee. Panathinaikos Hire Mad Malesani Panathinaikos have announced Alberto Malesani has replaced Sdenek Scasny as coach. Malesani, known for his wild facial expressions and gesturing, made his name at in 1997 Fiorentina playing 3-4-3 before moving onto Parma, Veron and then Modena. Malesani's contract will earn him €1 million upto the end of next season. Eto'o Named African Footballer of the Year Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has been named the African Footballer of the Year for the second successive year. Chelsea's Didier Drogba finished second and Bolton's Jay Jay Okocha finished third. Zidan Guilty of Receiving Stolen Goods 23 year old Bremen striker Mohamed Zidan have been given a 60 day suspended sentence and fined €670 for buying a stolen Claus Bech Andersen/Scanpix watch. Zidan paid €330 for the watch valued at €20,000. He said : "I've learned my lesson. It won't happen again. The next time I buy a watch I'll go to a professional." 15 February 2005 Ronaldinho XI 6-3 Shevchenko XI The stars were on show in the 'Football for Hope' match held at the Nou Camp in aid of the victims of the Tsunami disaster. Ronaldinho and Eto'o got the game off to a great start with early goals. Del Piero combined with former Juventus team-mate Zinedine Zidane to score the first goal for the Shevchenko XI. Eto'o capitalised on a hospital pass to give his team a 3-1 half-time lead. As expected the big guns were substituted in the second half. The Cagliari duo of Gianfranco Zola and David Suazo tied the score at 3-3 early in the second half Thierry Henry made the briefest of appearances for Shevchenko's team before Southampton striker Henri Camara grabbed a brace and set-up the final goal for Cha Doo-Ri. Chelsea Fine Gudjohnsen €60,000 Chelsea have fined striker Eidur Gudjohnsen €60,000 pounds after he breached the clubs 2 am curfew. Gudjohnsen was stopped by police at 5.20 am on Sunday morning after driving home from a night out. Gudjohnsen Arrested A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said : "At 5.20am on Sunday on the A3 southbound near Esher, officers stopped a car due to the way it was being driven. The driver, a 26-year-old man (Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen) was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol. He was taken to a south London police station and has since been bailed to return on a date at the end of March." 14 February 2005 Passive Offside To Be Scrapped In a rare moment FIFA President Sepp Bladder was been gripped by common sense and suggested the controversial passive offside rule will be scrapped : "Abolishing the passive offside rule would benefit attacking football. It would simplify matters if the person receiving the pass was the only player who could be flagged offside. I spoke to (Milan) Baros and (Jan) Koller about it and they think it is a good idea." The motion will be discussed in a rules meeting due to be held in Cardiff on the 26th of February. Giggs Credits Yoga For Curing Hamstring Problems "I feel as fit as I've ever been and generally I have managed to get over the problems that I've had with my hamstring over the years. A lot of it is down to being more experienced and knowing the injury better as I've got older. I rest now when I feel that I need a rest and the manager has been great in that respect. The other thing is that I've been doing yoga now for two years, which has definitely helped me with my hamstrings and back." "A few of us older players do it at the club with a yoga teacher. It's just about stretching and getting myself in the right positions to strengthen my back and hamstrings. It's been great for me and I don't think it's a coincidence that I haven't really had any big problems in that area over that time." - Ryan Giggs 12 February 2005 Hoyzer Arrested State prosecutor Michael Grunwald ordered the arrest of bent referee Robert Hoyzer after two Croatian brothers who have ties with the Croatian mafia, were arrested in connection to the scandal. The 25 year old referee admitted to fixing four matches between May and October of last year. Hozyer told Bild newspaper : "I am afraid of jail as I know the Croats are dangerous. I have thought of committing suicide." Hoyzer implicated other referees in the scandal after receiving money for persuading them to fix matches in the lower divisions of the German league. Referees Felix Zwayer, Dominik Marks and Jurgen Jansen are under investigation. 11 February 2005 Former Greats To Play in Charity Match Former greats including Ruud Gullit and Peter Shilton, who won successive European Cups with Milan and Nottingham Forest respectively, will play in a friendly match in Indonesia to raise funds for victims of the Tsunami disaster. The match will be held on the 28th of February in a 110,000 seater stadium in Jakarta. The proceeds will go towards education funds for children in the province of Aceh, hardest hit by the disaster. In a novel approach fans who make the largest donations will be able to play in the last five minutes of the match. Jean Tigana (France), Laurent Blanc (France), Gary McAllister (Scotland) and John Aldridge (Ireland) are also expected to play in an 18 man strong team. Organisers are hopeful Liberia's George Weah and Brazilian Bebeto will join them in a match against the Indonesian national team which will be boosted by Singapore's Fandi Ahmad and Thailand's Piyapong Pue On. Christie Out For Season Middlesbrough's injury prone striker Malcolm Christie has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken foot. Christie, who had a history of injuries while at Derby was signed by Middlesbrough in January 2003. In November of that year he broke his leg and returned to action ten months later only to immediately re-injure the same leg. Christie picked up the injury against Blackburn last week. 10 February 2005 DFB's €6 million Win Bonus is Safe The DFB (German Football Federation) have promised every one of Jurgen Klinsmann's players a €250,000 win bonus in they highly unlikely event the hosts win the 2006 World Cup. The players will receive €50,000 for reaching the quarter-finals, €100,00 for making the semi-finals and €150,000 for reaching the final. Members of Germany's 2002 World Cup squad received €92,000 for reaching the finals. Maier Claims Klinsmann Has Geriatric Agenda Former Germany goalkeeping coach Sepp Maier, who was sacked by Jurgen Klinsmann for criticising his treatment of past it Oliver Kahn, has taken another shot at the national team coach : "Klinsmann wants to bring an end to Kahn but he will not manage it. The way he is treating the elder players is the lowest of the low. I would have gone crazy if someone said to me : 'You are playing really well but you are on the bench. Lehmann has been on the bench at Arsenal for the past 12 games, plays once and then he is in the national team. Oliver wants to be in goal for the 2006 World Cup and that is why he is keeping quiet but deep down Klinsmann must know he cannot win the World Cup without Kahn." Reyes Duped on Spanish Radio Arsenal midfielder Rose Antonio Reyes admitted he was unhappy with life at Arsenal in a radio interview when talking to someone impersonating Real Madrid Vice President Emilio Butragueno : Cope Radio : So how are things at Arsenal? Reyes : Not great Cope Radio : We're obviously very interested in you. Raul recommended you Reyes : That makes me happy to hear that Cope Radio : So are you interested in Madrid? Reyes : Yes it's great that Madrid are interested in me because I've always dreamed of playing there since I was little. So hopefully I'll be able to play there. Reyes and his representatives plan to take legal action. BBC Pundits Lay Into Eriksson In the post match analysis following England' s abysmal draw against the Netherlands : "It's amazing what you can see through Sven's specs, I must get a pair." Gary Lineker "I defy anybody to learn anything from that match. It was very bad, a night to forget for England and the use of substitutes was scary, Andrew Johnson was hung out to dry. He has been prolific through the middle with Crystal Palace, absolutely brilliant, but wide right is not his position. It was crazy. It was crying out for Wright-Phillips on the right, Stewart Downing on the left, take Michael Owen off and play Johnson through the middle, with Wayne Rooney just off him." - Alan Hansen "There were so many square pegs in round holes. I can't see how they will play that in a competitive match. Perhaps he has looked at Chelsea this season. They've played a 4-3-3 and they've ripped up the Premiership so maybe he thought it might work but they've got Damien Duff playing one side and Arjen Robben on the other, two players with genuine pace. We didn't have the personnel to make it work with Downing on the bench." - Jamie Redknapp Southampton's Graham Le Saux, who was excellent as the colour commentator, criticised Eriksson on numerous occasions during the match. 9 February 2005 Eriksson's Tactical Limitations England coach Sven Goran Eriksson once against showed his tactical limitations as a coach against the Netherlands with a lame attempt at copying Jose Mourinho's 4-3-3 formation. The confused Shaun Wright-Phillips continually switched wings with Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen understandably failed to shine as the lone striker. In the second half Middlesbrough's Stuart Downing was given a measly 30 minutes on the left wing while Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnsen, who is almost certain to surpass Michael Owen's best ever domestic tally of 18 goals (he has scored 15 so far this season) was criminally employed on the right wing. Defender Khalid Boulahrouz and winger Romeo Castelen shone in Marco Van Basten's experimental side. Feyenoord's Dirk Kuyt struck the outside of a post while Shaun Wright-Phillips wasted three first half chances. The game ended goalless. Arsenal Threaten Cole's Agent With Legal Action "We as a club have a fairly robust document which we have evolved over the years with our lawyers. One of the clauses is a non-solicitation clause, where agents are not allowed to destabilise players at our club. Every agent that we have dealt with has signed. They have to otherwise the deal doesn't happen. If we're paying an agent he will enter into an agreement to look after our best interests." We expect him to abide by the contract. If they don't, it is up to us to either report it to The FA or the Premier League. Or we could take civil action, if we so desire. Up to now I'm pleased to say we've never had the necessity to take action but you may have noticed we've always kept the players we wanted to." Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein Brescia And PSG Appoint New Coaches Alberto Cavasin, who has been out of work since leaving Fiorentina last season, has replaced Gianni De Biasi as Brescia coach while PSG's youth team coach, Laurent Fournier, has replaced Vahid Halilhodzic. Pompier Out for Season Metz defender Bruno Pompier has been ruled out for the rest of the season after dislocating his knee following a challenge by Nice's Victor Agali. Pompier will be out of action for six months. Barca Looking to Offload Argentinean Duo Barcelona director of sport Tkixi Beguiristain has suggested there is no place at the club for either Juan Roman Riquelme or Javier Saviola : "We have still not spoken with Riquelme. We don't know his intentions and we don't have any offers for him. It could be difficult for him to return because he is a non EU player and we already have those places filled but we haven't discounted anything yet." "Regarding Saviola, he is not a player who can play on the wing, and is not a similar type to Giuly. As for forwards, we have Eto'o who is the best in the league, and with Larsson to complement him we have everything covered. We could not give that role to Saviola." Both players are currently on loan at Villarreal and Monaco respectively. Despite 4 goals in 5 matches in the Champions League Saviola has struggled domestically while Riquelme has been arguably the outstanding midfielder in La Liga this season. Vieira Disgust At Racist Chanting by PSG During PSG's home tie with Lens the PSG fans subjected Lens black players to racist abuse and held aloft neo-Nazi banners. Arsenal's Patrick Vieira, who was in attendance, spoke of his disgust and was critical of FIFA for failing to act : "I was shocked by what I heard at the Parc des Princes on Sunday. I really didn't think there would be such incidents in France. You don't see that in England. It's high time FIFA got involved in all this. It is getting worse and worse. The clubs have to solve this problem. The federations must aid the clubs and FIFA must help the federations. We all have to work together." Eriksson Defends Cole Sven Goran Eriksson has spoken in the defence of Ashley Cole following rumours he met with Chelsea officials last week : "As a professional footballer it must be your right to listen if some other work is available. We don't live in a dictatorship, we're in a democracy. It's the same in other professions but normally no problem. Loyalty is important but contracts end and that is life in football" Eriksson also met with Chelsea officials last year and was rewarded for his lack of loyalty and incompetence as coach with a new, long term contract and a pay rise by former FA Chief Executive Mark Palios. Eriksson's comments promoted the following response form the Premier League : "Our rules are clear. If it is proven that the rules have been broken then the guilty parties are liable to be punished." Hingis & Campbell An Item 24 year old former Tennis World #1 Martina 'Swiss Miss' Hingis has admitted to seeing Arsenal defender Sol Campbell in an interview with Schweizer Illustrierte magazine : "I like Sol a lot. We see each other whenever possible but he has many matches and I have my appointments as well. It is not easy for us both." Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega introduced the pair at an Adidas publicity function last October. The couple attended the launch of the United Nations 'Year of Sport' in December.