Today's other soccer news in brief
Redknapp making plans for Jamie
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has offered his son Jamie a coaching role at White Hart Lane next season.
Redknapp Jr, the former Spurs midfielder who retired from playing in 2005 due to a knee injury, is a pundit with Sky Sports but that is unlikely to get in the way of spending two days a week coaching.
Former Spurs players Les Ferdinand and Tim Sherwood are already on the coaching staff at the club.
Berlusconi pins blame on Ancelotti
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has fuelled speculation Carlo Ancelotti will leave the club this summer by accusing the Rossoneri boss of costing the club the Serie A title this season.
Milan are seven points behind city rivals Inter with just three games to go and seemingly poised to miss out on the domestic title once again. They have not won the Scudetto since 2004.
Berlusconi, who is also the Italian prime minister, is in no doubt about who is to blame for the failure.
Speaking in Egypt, he told La Repubblica newspaper: “We lost the title because of Ancelotti.
“Many times we did not use the right tactics. “We have so many good dribblers and should have based our football on this asset, but we did the opposite.”
Football League attendances up
Attendances outside England’s Premier League rose again this season to a 50-year high despite the recession, the Football League announced yesterday.
Total attendances for the three divisions below the top flight soared above 16 million for the fifth consecutive season with the Championship (second division) retaining its place as the fourth most watched league in Europe.
England’s second tier is more popular than Italy’s Serie A with only the Premier League, Spain’s Primera Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga pulling in bigger crowds.
“Given the prevailing financial climate, maintaining this progress will be a significant challenge for clubs,” Football League chairman Brian Mawhinney said is a statement.
While crowds are booming, the impact of relegation from the Premier League is still harsh with Southampton, Charlton Athletic and Norwich City, all recently top flight clubs, relegated this season to the third tier of English football.
Czech Republic turn to Straka
Former international defender Frantisek Straka has been appointed coach of the Czech Republic.
The 50-year-old Czech replaces Petr Rada, who was sacked last month following poor displays in World Cup qualifying matches against Slovakia and Slovenia.
“It is a dream fulfilled but I am not the main issue at the moment,” said Straka after narrowly beating Dusan Uhrin, who led the team to the final of Euro 96 where they were beaten by Germany, in an FA committee vote.
“I’d like the team to get out of the difficult situation that has arisen (in the World Cup).” The Czechs are fourth in Group Three, five points behind leaders Northern Ireland but with a game in hand.
Straka’s side have four qualifiers left, starting with a trip to Slovakia on September 5th. His first game in charge will be a friendly against Malta on June 5.
Alves ruled out for rest of season
Middlesbrough’s hopes of escaping relegation were dealt a blow today when it was confirmed record signing Afonso Alves will not play again this season.
Tests carried out this morning revealed the Brazilian, a €14 million capture from Heerenveen, fractured a metatarsal during Monday’s 3-1 derby defeat at Newcastle and will miss Saturday’s home clash with Aston Villa and the final day trip to West Ham.
Alves was hurt in a first-half challenge by Nicky Butt, which cost the midfielder a booking, and was carried off on a stretcher with the score at 1-1.
In addition, captain Emanuel Pogatetz has undergone knee surgery and will also be unavailable for the last two crucial games with the Teessiders’ 11-year stay in the top flight now coming under severe threat.
VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich still locked together
VfL Wolfsburg maintained their wafer-thin lead of the Bundesliga last night by claiming a 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, while Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen by the same score.
With two matches remaining, Wolfsburg and Bayern have 63 points apiece, with Wolfsburg top thanks to a goal difference that is two better.
Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko scored twice for Wolfsburg either side of Grafites 24th goal of the season, to seal their win. Luca Toni, Lukas Podolski and Franck Ribery claimed the goals in Bayern Munich’s victory.
Hertha Berlin remain in the hunt, a point off the pace on 62 points, after their 2-1 win away to Cologne with Brazilian Cicero and Patrick Ebert on target.
Perez plans return to Real Madrid
Florentino Perez is set to return to Real Madrid. The club’s former president will break his silence and formally announce his candidacy to be Real Madrid president for the second time in Madrid’s Ritz Hotel tomorrow morning.
Despite Perez walking out in February 2006 as Madrid closed in on their longest title drought in half a century, few doubt he will win – and his return may herald a revival for the galacticos. Perez is yet to speak in public but he will be the first to present a formal candidacy.
Candidates must be Spanish and a socio (member) of 10 years’ standing; they s must also present a guarantee for 15 per cent of the club’s budget.
The wealthy Perez’s project is expected to be packed with big names. There will be a place for Zinedine Zidane, the sporting director is set to be Jorge Valdano, while Madrid’s long-term dream of convincing Arsene Wenger to be coach has been rekindled.
