Alte Campionate Externe

Simunic must leave Hertha

Hertha Berlin defender Josip Simunic is certain to leave the Bundesliga club in the summer, according to his agent.

The Croatia international's agent, Gordon Stipic, blames a falling out with Hertha boss Lucien Favre for the impasse and claims that the Australian-born centre-back has offers from English, Spanish and other German clubs.

"For me, it is clear that Simunic must leave", Stipic said.

"There is no basis for co-operation and the decision is non-negociable. The reason is the behaviour of Hertha coach Lucien Favre."

"There is interest from England, Spain and Germany, but I will not name the clubs."

Simunic has a €7 million release clause in his contract, which is valid until the end of June.

Rangelov snubs Europa League

Bulgaria striker Dimitar Rangelov said he turned down the chance to play in Europe with German clubs and offers from England to join Borussia Dortmund from Energie Cottbus.

"I had offers from Hertha Berlin, SV Hamburg, Bochum and from several English clubs", said Rangelov, who has signed a 4-year contract with Dortmund.

"I know I turned down a chance to play in Europa League next season but I have no regrets", he said. "My personal wish was to join Dortmund and I think I took the best decision."

The 26-year-old Rangelov, Energie's top scorer last season with 9 goals, became Dortmund's third recent signing after Markus Feulner and Kevin Grosskreutz.

Almeida heading for Werder exit

According to a report in Bild, Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen are keen to cash in Portuguese forward Hugo Almeida this summer. The 25-year-old is reportedly no longer needed at the Hanseaten.

Almeida joined the German side from Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto in the summer of 2006. The Portuguese international has made 78 league appearances for Werder so far, scoring 25 goals in the process.

Bremen are desperate to land Croatian hitman Mario Mandzukic this transfer window, but don't have the financial resources to meet Dinamo Zagreb's hefty €11 million price tag at the moment.

Therefore, the German side want to offload Almeida. Werder are hoping to get €7 million for the towering striker.

Additionally, the Bremen side are also eager to sell Ivorian forward Boubacar Sanogo in order to raise some extra cash. Sanogo could leave the club for about €2 million.

German newspaper mocks Bayern's Luca Toni

Italy were humiliated in Confederations Cup, being eliminated from the group stage after losses to Egypt and Brazil.

One of the scapegoats in the media appears to be Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni, who disappointed in the tournament and was inconsistent during the 2008/2009 campaign for the Bavarians.

In fact, German newspaper Bild has claimed the striker should leave, but does not believe any club will buy the struggling forward.

"The sale of Toni could put some money in Bayern's wallet, considering that along with Ribery he is the highest paid player in the squad", the article suggested.

"The problem is that no one will buy this 'phantom in front of goal' right now."

The player's lack of effectiveness over the past few months has lead to speculation he will be dropped from the Italian national team altogether. The player himself has shown a desire to return to Serie A in recent times.

Subotic signs a new 5-year deal

Borussia Dortmund's Neven Subotic has signed a new 5-year deal with the German club and dispelling speculation regarding his future.

The defender had been linked with away from the German club with Everton being interested in the 20-year-old after an impressive season in Bundesliga.

The player, who was signed by manager Jurgen Klopp from Mainz, has hinted that he may move to a major team in Europe at the end of his new deal which, he insisted, would be best for both him and the club.

"I am just 25-years of age in 5 years time", he told Bild.

"If I would have the desire to move on that would still be a good time."

"Staying is best for me. I made progress at Dortmund last season and it would be too early to move abroad."

"I still have a lot to learn. At this point in time it would take an extraordinary bid to see me leaving."

"This would be great for both, Borussia Dortmund and me. They would have big money and I would know that this new club is really interested in me as a player."

Landreau signs up for Lille

Ligue 1 outfit Lille have signed goalkeeper Mickael Landreau on a 3-year contract from Paris Saint Germain, the club site announced on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Landreau had one year remaining on his PSG contract and his replacement at PSG is former Lyon and France goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, who joined the club Monday on a 2-year deal.

The 36-year-old Coupet has played 34 games for France.

Landreau said: "Even though I received numerous offers from clubs in France or abroad, Lille was my priority from the start. It's the challenge that best suits me now."

He has played 11 matches for France, but has not figured in coach Raymond Domenech's team for more than a year.

Season 2009-2010 Ligue 1 fixtures




ETAPA 1 (8 august)

Auxerre vs Sochaux (L'Abbé-Deschamps)

Bordeaux vs Lens (Chaban Delmas)

Grenoble vs Marseille (Stade des Alpes)

Le Mans vs Lyon (Leon-Bollée)

AS Monaco vs Toulouse (Louis II)

Montpellier vs PSG (La Mosson)

Rennes vs Boulogne (Route de Lorient)

Saint-Etienne vs Nice (Geoffroy-Guichard)

Valenciennes vs Nancy (Stade Nungesser)

Lille vs Lorient (Borne de l'Espoir)

calendarul competitional

Lucio drops another hint he may leave

Bayern Munich centre-back Lucio has once again moved to insist that if he doesn't figure in new trainer Louis van Gaal's first team plans then he will have no qualms about leaving the club.

"When I hear such stories saying Bayern don't want me anymore, then it makes me sad", he told Munich's Tageszeitung newspaper.

"Everything which was said about my future with Bayern was hard to take. Bayern and these reports have created a situation which is anything but nice."

"A transfer would be the best thing for me to find peace again. It is possible that I won't come back, although I do have to empty my locker."

Bayern reported back for the first day of pre-season training, but Lucio was conspicuous by his absence. The 31-year-old has been given some extra time off after captaining Brazilian to their Confederations Cup triumph in South Africa.

Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer had earlier urged the Bavarians to do all they could to keep the defender at the club.

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Govou close to joining Galatasaray from Lyon

Olympique Lyon stand on the very cusp of losing the final musketeer who won 7 Ligue 1 titles in succession with the Stade Gerland outfit as Sidney Govou is close to completing a move to Galatasaray, according to Turkish news agency DHA.

Only 3 players featured throughout the entirety of Les Gones' historic run of title successes - Gregory Coupet, Juninho and Govou. Coupet departed the club last summer to move to Atletico Madrid, though he is now back in France with Paris Saint Germain, while Juninho moved earlier this summer to Al Gharafa of Qatar. Now it seems it is Govou's turn to depart.

Reports suggest that Haldun Ustunel tried to get Govou to sign a contract with the Istanbul giants on Tuesday, but a move has yet to be confirmed. Despite this apparent delay, it is strongly hinted that the French international, who is most effectively deployed on the right wing, could join the Turkish side for their pre-season training in Holland.

Although president Jean-Michel Aulas would like to keep the 29-year-old, who missed a large chunk of last season due to a serious Achilles injury, Govou has long been pushing for a transfer. Last summer he was strongly linked with a move to Premier League, where he may well have gone in January had it not been for the aforementioned problem.

Marseille set for double swoop



Marseille are on the verge of signing Bordeaux defender Souleymane Diawara and Besiktas midfielder Edouard Cisse.

The players will undergo medicals before joining Didier Deschamps' revolution at Stade Velodrome, which has already seen the capture of Argentina midfielder Lucho Gonzalez from Porto.

Diawara, 30, will join on a four-year deal with Cisse, 31, handed a two-year contract.

Cisse joins on a Bosman free transfer while Diawara is likely to cost around five million euros.

PSG suspend Rothen

Paris St Germain have confirmed they have temporarily suspended midfielder Jerome Rothen for comments made about the club in a recent interview.

The club called a meeting with the France international today to ask him to explain his comments which appeared in Wednesday's edition of sports daily L'Equipe and which also led to Rothen being jeered at by fans at training today.

PSG announced that Rothen's full punishment would be decided next week.

Dortmund boosted by Turkish tyro's contract extension

Young Turkish international Nuri Sahin gave Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund a boost on Saturday when he signed a 4-year extension to his present contract.

The 20-year-old - who in 2005 became the youngest player in Bundesliga history to sign a professional contract when he signed for Borussia - said he had numerous offers but had opted to stay with the former Champions League winners.

"Despite some impressive offers that we and the club received, I have renewed my contract with Borussia Dortmund for 4 more years", said Sahin in a statement.

Sahin has also had a brief spell on loan with Dutch giants Feyenoord in the season of 2007-2008.

Landreau blow for Lille

Newly-signed Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau has been ruled out for at least 6 months with a serious knee injury, the club confirmed on Saturday.

The 30-year-old former French international has ruptured cruciate ligaments in his knee just six days after signing from Paris Saint Germain in a 3-year deal.

His place will be taken by Ludovic Butelle, 26-year-old, who also recently signed for 3 years after being on loan with the north-eastern side last season.

Almeida wants Bremen stay

Hugo Almeida, on the books of Werder Bremen since joining from FC Porto in 2006, has been strongly tipped to leave the club, following the signing of Marcelo Moreno.

The arrival of the Bolivian striker, who signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, has pushed Almeida down the pecking order and the club are reportedly looking to cash in on him.

But Almeida, who has made 20 appearances for Portugal at senior level, has made it clear he wants to prove his worth at the German club.

"I will only leave if it is a good offer for me and Werder Bremen", Almeida told GLOBOESPORTE.

"If it is to go to a club that only think of avoiding relegation, then I do not want. It would be a step back in my career."

The 25-year-old frontman stressed that he is not worried about competition from Moreno, saying: "I do not look at it as a fight. I only think of my work and doing my best."

"Then, the coach decides who gets to play."

"I don't want any conflict with Bayern"

After a tumultuous week for Franck Ribery, which culminated in the German press labelling him a mercenary for allegedly trying to force an exit from Bayern Munich to join Real Madrid, the Frenchman has spoken for the first time to clear up any misconceptions.

The first issue that he addressed was the rumour that he had faked an injury during one of the squad's first pre-season training sessions as a show of discontent towards the club for denying him a dream move to Santiago Bernabeu.

"I understand that there have been debates about my future, but I do not want to cause a conflict with Bayern. That is something I want to clarify", he told German paper TZ.

"What I don't understand is the story that I made up my injury. That is a lie. It really hurts because I have a blister and my heel is inflamed."

The 26-year-old resumed normal training yesterday after taking Friday off and even though he does not hide the fact that he is still hoping to play for Los Blancos, he assured fans that he remains committed to Die Bayern.

"My mentality is always to give my maximum, even if my dream is not fulfilled", he said.

"I do not want to be a problem for the unity of the squad. But it is necessary to keep hoping and if an offer comes along, we will discuss it. For now, I am not going to say anything that will be harmful."

A report out of England had speculated that Real were about to launch a fresh bid by including Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben (valued collectively at €47 million) into a €17 million offer, which would effectively take the total transfer fee to €64 million.

Un fotbalist columbian a ucis un fan care îi reproşa faptul că a pierdut titlul

Fotbalistul columbian Javier Florez, atacant al echipei Junior Barranquilla, ocupanta locului doi în ediţia 2009 a turneului Apertura, a împuşcat mortal, duminică, un suporter care îi reproşa faptul că a pierdut titlul, informează cotidianul El Tiempo.

Potrivit sursei citate, victima era un electrician în vârstă de 24 de ani şi a fost ucisă de fotbalist cu patru focuri de armă.

Incidentul a avut loc în cartierul Los Robles din Baranquilla, unde locuiesc părinţii sportivului. Potrivit martorilor, electricianul făcea parte dintr-un grup de tineri care îi reproşau fotbalistului, de fiecare dată când trecea pe lângă ei, evoluţiile proaste. Tânărul a încercat să îl dezarmeze pe jucător, dar Florez a tras şi iniţial l-a rănit la mână pe electrician, după care l-a împuşcat în torace. Electricianul a fugit aproximativ 40 de metri încercând să se salveze, dar fotbalistul ajuns din urmă şi l-a împuşcat din nou. Javier Florez a fugit apoi, însă după aproximativ trei ore s-a predat la poliţie.

Junior Barranquilla a ratat, în acest an, câştigarea turneului Apertura în Columbia şi calificarea la Copa Libertadores 2010.

Quaresma on Besiktas radar



Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma is wanted by Turkish club Besiktas after suffering a miserable first season at the San Siro.

The Portuguese player arrived in Milan last summer for €18.6 million from Porto, but failed to make an impression with the Nerazzurri and often found himself on the bench.

In January he moved to Chelsea on-loan for the remainder of the season, but fared no better in the Premier League where he struggled to break into the first eleven.

After returning to Inter, he was set to be included in a swap deal that would have sent him to Genoa, but the player himself reportedly rejected the move.

It seems Inter view him as surplus to requirements and according to Portale FP Turkish giants Besiktas are willing to step in with an €11 million bid.

The Turkish champions are looking to bring in reinforcements ahead of next season, as they will be competing in the Champions League group stages in September.

Dzeko signs new WfL Wolfsburg deal

According to a report in Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, highly-rated Bosnian attacker Edin Dzeko has decided to stay at WfL Wolfsburg for one more season and has inked a new deal.

The 23-year-old has been continually linked with Italian powerhouse AC Milan in the past couple of weeks, but the transfer never materialised as the Serie A side failed to agree a transfer fee with Wolfsburg.

Dzeko has received a large pay rise, but the most important thing about his new deal is that it reportedly contains a minimum fee release clause. The prolific hitman will be allowed a move next year if an offer of €20 million comes in.

The Italians are still desperate to sign a new forward this summer and have turned their attentions to Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Luis Fabiano since the Dzeko deal collapsed.

Chygrynskiy a refuzat oferta Barcelonei

Internaţionalul ucrainean al lui Şahtior Doneţk, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, a preferat să continue la formaţia pregătită de Mircea Lucescu, deşi a fost curtat de campioana Spaniei şi câştigătoarea Ligii Campionilor, FC Barcelona, informează Reuters.

"Înţeleg perfect faptul că FC Barcelona nu face în fiecare zi o astfel de ofertă. Este un moment important pentru mine, dar nu voi părăsi clubul. Ştiu că s-ar putea să nu mai am niciodată o astfel de oportunitate în cariera mea. Pe de altă parte, mi-am demonstrat că sunt demn de o asemnea ofertă şi în continuare, doresc să ridic şi mai mult ştacheta", a spus apărătorul în vârstă de 22 de ani al deţinătoarei Cupei UEFA.

Chygrynskiy, care este al doilea căpitan al lui Şahtior, după Dario Srna, este un produs al centrului de copii şi juniori al grupării din Doneţk. Fundaşul a debutat în prima echipă la vârsta de 17 ani, iar cu excepţia unui retur de campionat, în care a fost împrumutat la Metalurg Zaporoje, a evoluat numai pentru Şahtior.

FC Porto sign Falcao

The Radamel Falcao transfer saga has come to an end with Portuguese champions FC Porto signing the Columbian striker from River Plate.

The Dragons paid €3.9 million for 60% ownership of the River Plate striker and has put pen to paper on a contract until June 2013, according to a statement the club sent to the Lisbon Stock Exchange.

However, the deal will be formalized in the coming days pending the mandatory medical tests. Falcao had to endure a turbulent month, with first thoughts being that the forward was destined for Benfica, before FC Porto began to show an interest and earlier this week it appeared Spanish club Zaragoza would make a late swoop for the player.

But the 23-year-old striker is relieved now, as his future is decided, although he admitted it was a wrench leaving the Argentine capital. "It's difficult to think what I'm leaving behind. I cannot put into words what River means to me, I'll take the club in my heart."

Falcao, who scored 45 goals in 110 games for River Plate, now wants to transpose that goalscoring form across the Atlantic.

"I have always dreamed of playing in the Champions League", he added.

Werder Bremen win German SuperCup

Werder Bremen have won the German SuperCup, beating Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg at its own Volkswagen Arena.

Per Mertesacker put DFB Pokal winners ahead on 21 minutes but had his goal cancelled out by Grafite in the 67th.

The away side went on to take the first trophy of the season though, as Clemens Fritz made it 1-2 with 9 minutes to go.

Wolfsburg substitute Daniel Baier was red-carded just before full time.

Werder won the SuperCup 3 times before. The match wasn't played from 1997 to 2007, to return as unofficial event in 2008.

REZUMAT

Lucio blames Van Gaal for being disrespectful

Brazilian defender Lucio blame Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal of being disrespectful in the way he treated the player ahead of his transfer to Inter Milano.

Lucio had only just returned from June Confederations Cup when it became clear that his services were no longer needed at the Bavarian outfit.

"It is normal for a coach to have his own ideas", Lucio told German sportspaper Kicker. "But this good-bye was disrespectful. I just think that I deserved a little more respect. I hoped that the coach would talk to me before drawing a conclusion."

The 31-year-old joined Bayern in 2004 and made 144 appearances since. The player also captained the Brazilian squad at Confederations Cup.

AZ Alkmaar win Dutch SuperCup

AZ Alkmaar have won the 2009 edition of Dutch SuperCup, beating Heerenveen 5-1 at Amsterdam ArenA.

The Alkmaar outfit didn't need long to create comfortable gap with their opponents with goals from Brett Holman (15th), Mounir El Hamdaoui (25th) and Maarten Martens (28th).

Heerenveen, who did create some chances but always found keeper Romero in their way, did pull one back through Michal Papadopoulos on the hour.

But Jeremain Lens had the final say for AZ, scoring in the 67th and 87th minutes for a 5-1 result.

It is the first time that AZ wins the Dutch SuperCup, also called "Johan Cruyff Schaal". Heerenveen had never done so either.

REZUMAT

French SuperCup victory for Girondins Bordeaux

Girondins Bordeaux have won the French SuperCup for the second consecutive time, beating Coupe de France winners Guingamp 2-0.

The opening goal came after 37 minutes and was scored by Fernando Cavenaghi. Just before full time, the Ligue 1 champions ended all doubts as Fernando added a second goal.

Bordeaux won their first SuperCup in January 1987, which was actually the 1986 SuperCup game. The 2008 victory was Girondins' second.

The French clubs have 2 weeks left to prepare for the new season. Bordeaux begin their title defending campaign at home against Lens. Guingamp remain in Ligue 2.

REZUMAT

Becks is going nowhere



Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has informed David Beckham he will not be allowed to leave the Los Angeles Galaxy until November at the earliest.

Beckham has experienced a tough time since returning to his parent club following a loan spell at Italian giants AC Milan.

The England man's future has been in doubt ever since he extended his loan deal with Milan rather than playing the first half of the MLS season, but Garber said any talks regarding a return to Italy will have to take place at the end of the current season.

Beckham is believed to be seeking a repeat of his loan spell with the Italian side from January to May this year when his stint with the Galaxy comes to an end as he bids to figure in Fabio Capello's England squad for next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"We're going to wait until after the season before we get there," Garber told ESPN. "We've heard from David that he wants to go back to Milan and he wants to play for the English national team.

"We've also heard from him that he also wants to spend the rest of his career here.

"So we're going to get through this year and let the Galaxy take this as far as they can take it and then sit down with David and his people and figure it out."