SOCCER SHORTS:New France coach Didier Deschamps will not tolerate the bad behaviour which marred the national team's last two major tournaments, he said yesterday as he was officially unveiled.
The 1998 World Cup-winning captain has taken over from Laurent Blanc after Les Bleus, who mutinied at the 2010 World Cup, went out with a whimper to Spain in the Euro 2012 quarter-final. Four players, including midfielder Samir Nasri who launched a foul-mouthed rant against a reporter, face a disciplinary hearing on July 27th.
“I’m not here to threaten people or what have you, I am trusting, but today the situation in French football is such that the players can no longer make mistakes,” he said.
Uruguay look to Suarez and Cavani to lead Games' attack
World Cup strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will lead Uruguay’s attack in the Olympic soccer tournament at the London Games. Suarez and his Liverpool team-mate Sebastian Coates were named along with Napoli’s Cavani in a 18-man squad officially announced by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) yesterday.
Midfielder Egidio Arevalo Rios of Mexico’s Tijuana, who is 29, and 25-year-olds Suarez and Cavani, all members of the Uruguay side that reached the 2010 World Cup semi-finals, are the three permitted over-age players in the under-23 squad.
URUGUAY (squad): Goalkeepers: Martin Campana (Cerro Largo), Leandro Gelpi (Penarol). Defenders: Sebastian Coates (Liverpool), Diego Polenta (Genoa), Ramon Arias (Defensor Sporting), Alexis Rolin (Nacional), Emiliano Albin (Penarol), Matias Aguirregaray (Palermo). Midfielders: Egidio Arevalo Rios (Tijuana), Maximiliano Calzada (Nacional), Diego Rodriguez (Defensor Sporting), Gaston Ramirez (Bologna), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax Amsterdam), Jonathan Urretaviscaya (Vitoria de Guimaraes) Forwards: Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Edinson Cavani (Napoli), Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Tabare Viudez (Nacional).
Liverpool closing in on 'exciting' signing
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admits he does not have a “wheelbarrow load” of money to spend in the transfer window but is closing in on his first signing.
However, he has stressed any new arrival will have to have the right character as well as technical ability.
Rodgers, who opted out of the chase for new Spurs midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson as he refused to pay over the odds for the player, said an “exciting” deal could be completed in the next few days. “We don’t have a wheelbarrow load of money, there is not the money flying about people think there is,” said the Northern Irishman.
“There certainly won’t be as many signings as is being labelled out there. There have been a whole raft of players being linked and only a few are real targets for us.
“The reality is we have only made three or four inquiries about players and hopefully can close out one deal this week which will be a real exciting one for the club, one the supporters will absolutely love.”
Ji-sung ready for 'new challenge' at QPR
Park Ji-sung admits it was a tough decision to leave Manchester United after joining QPR – but says it is time for a “new challenge”.
The 31-year-old South Korea international yesterday brought his successful seven-year spell at Old Trafford to an end by joining Rangers for an undisclosed fee believed to be upwards of €2 million. Park, signed by Alex Ferguson from PSV Eindhoven in 2005, made 203 appearances for United, scoring 27 goals and winning four Premier League titles, three League Cups and the Champions League in 2008.
But the midfielder has opted to move to Rangers, who only escaped relegation on the final day of last season, despite other offers from England, Europe and the Far East.Park is QPR’s sixth signing of the summer, joining Ryan Nelsen, Andrew Johnson, Robert Green, Samba Diakite and former Old Trafford team-mate Fabio at Loftus Road as manager Mark Hughes attempts to avoid a repeat of last season’s struggles.
Transfer of Rangers players on hold
International clearance for the transfers of Steve Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Jamie Ness, Steven Whittaker and Steven Naismith has been put on hold as Rangers newco continue to dispute the players’ status.
A number of Ibrox players, following advice from their union, PFA Scotland, rejected the chance to transfer their contracts from Rangers to Charles Green’s Sevco consortium. Green rejects the claim that the players are free agents and the former Sheffield United chief executive sent letters to clubs across the UK warning them that the players who objected to the switch to Sevco were in breach of contract.
However, Naismith has moved to Everton, Whittaker has signed for Norwich and Ness has joined Stoke. Northern Irish duo, Davis and Lafferty, are at Southampton and Swiss side Sion respectively.
The Scottish Football Association procedurally cannot complete the international transfer clearance (ITC), as it has to be signed by all parties.
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