..::Football III::..

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Parma sold again for €1

Parma have passed into new ownership once more after being sold for €1 on Monday.

The Serie A club were bought by Albanian oil tycoon Rezart Taci in December, with the relatively unknown 29-year-old Ermir Kodra being installed as president.
Yet they have now been taken over by Giampietro Manenti of Mapi Group, with the full board of new directors set to be unveiled in the coming days amid chaos at the Ennio Tardini.

Only weeks after Taci took over the reins from Tommaso Ghirardi he announced that the club was again on the market, with Kodra confirming that they were speaking with Italo-Slovenian investors regarding a takeover after discovering the entirety of the Ducali’s troubling circumstances."We sold the club for €1, which is what we paid for it too," Pietro Doca, an associate of Taci, told ANSA. "The problem is the debts."

The problematic financial situation has led to wages going unpaid, with the club having until February 16 to pay players before they could resign and look for employment elsewhere.Players’ union chief Damiano Tommasi has admitted great concern for the squad at the latest turn of events, and new owner Manenti has explained that the resolution of these payments is his first priority.

"We have a race against time to be prepared for February 16," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "It will not be easy, but we must try. We have to do it."It is our intention to fix the situation as quickly as possible. The first thing we need to do is have a new board of directors formed as quickly as we can."

Parma currently sit at the foot of Serie A with just nine points having already been docked one point for failing to pay the players' wages earlier this season.

 

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AC Milan did us proud against Juventus, says Galliani

AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has stressed the San Siro side's performance against Juventus at the weekend did club president Silvio Berlusconi proud, regardless of the 3-1 defeat.

Goals from Carlos Tevez, Leonardo Bonucci and Alvaro Morata made Luca Antonelli's debut strike irrelevant as the Rossoneri eventually left Turin empty-handed.

Despite yet another defeat leaving the team in 12th place, Galliani and Berlusconi had no complaints about the display."Berlusconi was pleased with the team's performance against Juventus," Galliani told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The team never gave up, even though there were many injuries and we tried to play an attacking style. We saw a Milan that did us proud."Of course, we are not happy about the result, but we put in a food performance. We did not play badly.

"Let's not forget that it was an away game against the team that sits atop of the table."We have analysed the situation with [Filippo] Inzaghi and we have to work hard. We are all pulling in the same direction."

Milan sit joint 10th in the Serie A table with 29 points from 22 games.

 

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Van Gaal dossier hits back at Allardyce's long-ball claims

Louis van Gaal has hit back at Sam Allardyce's suggestion that his side play long-ball football, producing a four-page dossier to show that Manchester United were less direct than West Ham.

The Red Devils salvaged a point late on at Upton Park, with Daley Blind lashing a volley past Adrian, and Allardyce lamented afterwards that his side "couldn't cope with long-ball United, it was just thump it forward and see what they could get".

Van Gaal, though, has reacted angrily to the idea that his side only played long-ball football, handing out images and statistics which contradict Allardyce's assertion, and insists United played the better possession football in Sunday's meeting.

"[We played] long balls with width to switch the play and then you see of course we play long balls, but more long balls out wide than to the strikers," began the Dutchman's staunch defence of his playing style in his pre-match press conference.

"And a ball to the forwards is mainly called long balls played. Now, because I expected this question I have made interpretation of the data of this game, and then I have to say that it's not good interpretation from Big Sam, it's not so difficult also to read.

"I'm sorry, we are playing ball possession play. After 70 minutes we don't succeed in spite of many chances in the second half, then I change my playing style and then of course with the quality of [Marouane] Fellaini we played more forward balls. We scored because of that also, so I think a very good decision of the manager."

He continued: "But, when you see overall the long ball and what is the percentage of that, then West Ham United have played 71 per cent of the long balls to the forwards and we 49%.

"So, I give you this [dossier showing long balls attempted], also you can see the blue ones are the good ones, because long balls are mostly very difficult, which is why I began with the explanation of ball possession. When you have 62% ball possession you cannot play long balls only.

"Again they did it with 71% and us 49%, and I give it to you. You can copy it, and then you go to Big Sam and maybe he can do a good interpretation."

 

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Griezmann: I turned down Barcelona

Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann has revealed that he turned down the chance to join Barcelona in the past after impressing in his debut season at Real Sociedad.

Griezmann helped the Basque side back to La Liga with a string of fine performances in 2009-10 and his superb form earned him the interest of Barcelona at the time.

However, the Camp Nou side wanted to send the Frenchman to their B team for one season before promoting him to their first team, prompting Griezmann to pull the plug on a potential deal.

"When Barcelona got in touch with me, they spoke with my agents, but nothing really happened after that," Griezmann told RTL."They wanted to me start with Barcelona B and then make the step up to the first team after one year. I was already playing in the Segunda Division with Real Sociedad, though. I did not want to go to another team in the same competition.

"You would have to ask Barcelona how much they wanted me. I wanted to play in the first team and I don't know if they wanted me that badly."Griezmann would eventually stay at Sociedad until the summer of 2014, before joining Atletico Madrid ahead of this season.

The 23-year-old has since developed into a key player at the Vicente Calderon, scoring 12 goals in 22 La Liga appearances for Diego Simeone's men.

 

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Marquinhos to Man Utd? We will see in the summer, says agent

Marquinhos' agent has reiterated that the Paris Saint-Germain defender is not enjoying the amount of time he is spending on the bench and could end up at Manchester United at the end of the season.

The 20-year-old Brazil international joined the French champions from Roma for €31.4 million in 2013 but has struggled for regular playing time, with his first-team opportunities limited by Laurent Blanc's preference for pairing Thiago Silva and David Luiz in the centre of defence.

Marquinhos' representative, Giuliano Bertolucci, has again admitted Louis van Gaal's side are one of the clubs keen on signing the defender and said he expects PSG to make a decision on his long-term future in the summer.

"Last summer the president of PSG [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] stated that Marquinhos was unsellable; we will see what he thinks next June," the agent told RMC."So many [clubs] want him, including Manchester United. What is certain is that Marquinhos wants to become the best defender in the world.

"He is still not at the level of Thiago Silva and David Luiz, so for this reason he respects the choices of the coach."But he doesn't want to spend much more time on the bench. If necessary, he can play also as a full-back or a wide midfielder."

Marquinhos has made 15 appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG this season, scoring one goal in the process.

 

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Marquinhos to Man Utd? We will see in the summer, says agent

Epa epa one naha​

 

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Pochettino: Tottenham deserved more

Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham were worthy of a point after watching his side concede a late Mario Balotelli goal in their 3-2 defeat at Liverpool on Tuesday.

Pochettino's men twice came from behind to level and looked to set to earn a share of the spoils from an enthralling Premier League clash until substitute Balotelli smashed home the decisive goal seven minutes from time.

Harry Kane cancelled out Lazar Markovic's 15th-minute opener before Steven Gerrard restored Liverpool's advantage with a penalty shortly after half-time.

Moussa Dembele appeared to have made sure of a point by levelling again eight minutes later, only for Balotelli to settle the contest with his first Premier League goal for Liverpool.

And Pochettino felt the result was harsh on Tottenham, who are now just a point clear of Liverpool as both teams chase a top-four berth.

"We are disappointed with the result because I think one point would have been fair for both teams," Pochettino said in quotes reported by BBC Sport.

"It was a great game, we played well but this is football. The players are very disappointed, sad and tired but we have to accept football is like this.

"I am proud of the effort and we have to look forward. The only thing we need to improve is in the first half we gave Liverpool some chances and made some mistakes. We deserved more from this game."

 

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Koeman: Van Gaal 'wasting energy' with long-ball debate

Ronald Koeman believes Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is "wasting energy" in talking about West Ham's supposed long-ball tactics.

Koeman's Southampton host West Ham at St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday after the London club were criticised by Van Gaal in his pre-match press conference prior to United's clash with Burnley.

Van Gaal refuted suggestions that United deploy long-ball tactics - which West Ham boss Allardyce accused them of following Sunday's 1-1 draw between the two sides - by presenting a graphic to journalists to show that the figures from Upton Park were skewed against his side by passes to the flanks.

The graphic indicated that West Ham had played more than 70 per cent of long balls forward, compared to less than 50 per cent by United.

However, Van Gaal's Dutch compatriot Koeman has been quick to defend West Ham's approach.

"I watched the game last Sunday," Koeman said. "I think they [West Ham] played very well. Very physically strong. Maybe it depends on whether [Andy] Carroll can start. But they showed without that player they can play good football.

"I think West Ham have always options to play in a different style. What you have to do as a manager is to play with the best of the qualities the players have.

"The most easy way to attack is a long ball, like we do sometimes, we play a long ball to [Graziano] Pelle. That means in one pass you are close to the box of the opponent.

"I prefer always to play football but sometimes it's a good option if you have a player like Carroll or like Man United has with [Marouane] Fellaini. To do something different to try a different way to score goals.

"If someone says something about the tactics, in my opinion it's losing energy. I need my energy to the players and not to the press."

 

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Real Madrid's plan to redevelop Bernabeu blocked by supreme court

Real Madrid's plan to redevelop the Santiago Bernabeu has been dealt a major blow, with the city's Supreme Court of Justice ruling that the project be halted with immediate effect.

The Liga club unveiled their proposed changes in January of last year, with the renovation work intended to include a shopping centre complex and a hotel in an area to cover 12,250 metres adjacent to the ground, as well as further improvements to the current structure, such as a retractable roof.

However, the spectacular €400 million project is now in danger of being scuppered by legal issues.

"Madrid's Supreme Court of Justice has annulled the agreement of November 15, 2012 issued by the Governing Council of the Municipal Community of Madrid, which approved the modification of land-use plan related to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium," read a statement released by the European champions on Tuesday night.
"Following this ruling, Real Madrid will work with the City Council and the Community of Madrid in resolving those aspects that are necessary to make the redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium viable."

The capital club's attempts to renovate the arena have been halted before, in August of last year, when the Spanish High Court called for a cessation to work on the project, after the European Commission opened an investigation into "alleged public help" from the Madrid government.

 

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Tomkins signs new West Ham contract

West Ham defender James Tomkins has signed a new contract at the club until 2020.

The centre-back's deal at Upton Park had been due to expire at the end of next season but he has now put pen to paper on an agreement that will see him remain in east London for the next five years.

Tomkins has expressed his delight at extending his stay with a club he feels is on the up both on and off the field.

"I think it's brilliant that the club has shown faith in me and offered me this deal and I'm delighted to sign it," the defender told West Ham's official website.

"I've been here since I was seven and this is a long-term deal which is going to take me up until I'm in my thirties, so it's nice to commit my future here.

"Being a West Ham fan, I want to spend my future here as it is exciting times with the Olympic Stadium move coming up in 2016.

"The club is going in the direction I wanted it to go and I want to be involved in. It's exciting all-round, for the club and for me."

 

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'Leicester need points - not positives,' admits under-pressure Pearson

After a positive showing in Tuesday's defeat to Arsenal, Nigel Pearson says he does not know whether it will be enough to stop discussion over his position as Leicester City boss.

The club denied reports Pearson had been sacked following Saturday's defeat to Crystal Palace after he was involved in a touchline incident with James McArthur.

After his side showed positive glimpses in Tuesday's 2-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium, Pearson spoke of his determination to turn things around for the owners.

"I don't know if this keeps me off the back pages. I'm not an editor of a newspaper," he told BBC Sport.

"My relationship with the owners remains very good - professionally and on a personal level. We have to work as hard as we can to alter our performances at this moment."

Andrej Kramaric's first Leicester strike got his team back into the game, after the visitors had fallen behind to goals from Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott.

Despite looking positive going forward throughout the game, Pearson was insistent when it came to the need for the Premier League's bottom side to start picking up points.

"It's all well and good talking about performances," he said."It's all right looking on the bright side of life but ultimately it's about winning games and we continue to be under scrutiny because of the position we are in.

"We've played very well again and I could argue we created a lot of chances but as I said, I don't want to talk in terms of us being unlucky.

"I want us to learn from performances like tonight and make sure from here on in if we replicate that sort of performance we still have a good chance of avoiding relegation."

 

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'Villa will turn things around,' vows under-fire Lambert

Despite discontent among Aston Villa supporters, manager Paul Lambert remains a man determined to steer the club clear of relegation.

Lowly Villa crashed to a 2-0 defeat at fellow Premier League strugglers Hull City on Tuesday.

A fifth consecutive league loss saw Villa drop into the bottom three on goal difference, a point adrift of Hull in 15th place.

They went into the match without a win in nine league games and the away fans let their feelings known at the KC Stadium as that became 10, displaying banners calling for the removal of Lambert.

However, the Scot - who said he was understanding of the situation - was sticking to his guns post-match when asked about discontent in the stands.

"I was aware of it months ago. I try to do my best," Lambert told the BBC.

"It's a great football club with a massive fan base and they want to see their team doing well.

"We've got to keep battling away and keep our heads up. We're certainly in a fight. You have to keep going and keep being positive.

"There's a fight, the lads know it. There's a lot of football to be played.

"I am in no doubt we will turn it around. No doubt. As I have said to the players - we have 13 cup finals to get through."

 

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Barclays Premier League 2015.02.11 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2015.02.11 Fixtures

Chelsea Vs Everton

Manchester United Vs Burnley

Southampton Vs West Ham

Stoke City Vs Mnachester City

Crystal Palace Vs Newcastle United

WBA Vs Swansea

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Copa Del Rey Fixtures 2015.02.11

Copa Del Rey Fixtures 2015.02.11

Barcelona Vs Villareal

Athletic Bilbao Vs Espanyol​

 

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Serie A 2015.02.11 Fixture

Serie A 2015.02.11 Fixture

Parma Vs Chievo Verona​

 

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Arsenal 2-1 Leicester City: Walcott on target for below-par Gunners

 

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Arsenal dan 4th place
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Manchester United Vs Burnley

Manchester United Starting Line-up

David De Gea
Phil Jones
Marcos Rojo
Jonathan Evans
Patrick McNair
Ángel Di María
Wayne Rooney
Adnan Januzaj
Daley Blind
Radamel Falcao
Robin van Persie

&

Burnley Starting Line-up

Tom Heaton
Kieran Trippier
Jason Shackell
Benjamin Mee
Michael Keane
Michael Kightly
David Jones
George Boyd
Scott Arfield
Danny Ings
Ashley Barnes
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Half Time

Manchester United 2 Vs 1 Burnley

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