..::Football III::..

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Sakho won't get banned - Allardyce

Sam Allardyce does not expect Diafra Sakho to be banned for playing for West Ham after withdrawing from Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations squad.

The striker missed the African showpiece in Equatorial Guinea with a persistent back problem.

However, he came off the bench to score West Ham's winner in last weekend's FA Cup win over Bristol City, with Senegal still involved at the Africa Cup of Nations at that point.

Fifa subsequently confirmed that the Senegal Football Federation had contacted world football's governing body over the matter, while Senegal coach Alain Giresse claimed West Ham had set a "dangerous precedent" by opting to select Sakho.

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan stated on Wednesday that he does not expect any ramifications from Fifa and manager Allardyce insists the club have followed the rules.

"I'm not worried that Sakho will face a ban whatsoever," he said ahead of West Ham's Premier League trip to Liverpool on Saturday.

"We have stuck by every rule and regulation in the book."

 

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Wenger: Gabriel can become instant Arsenal hit

Arsene Wenger is confident new signing Gabriel Paulista can quickly adapt to the Premier League and has revealed the 24-year-old is in line to make his Arsenal debut in Sunday’s fixture against Aston Villa.

Gabriel completed his move from Villarreal on Wednesday and bolsters Wenger’s options in defence after Mathieu Debuchy was ruled out for three months with a dislocated shoulder, while Laurent Koscielny has only returned to regular action this month after an Achilles problem.

"He is a promising Brazilian defender," Wenger told Arsenal Player.

"Just 24-years-old and we got the work permit. He has good pace, is good in the challenge and is tall, so he can adapt to English football.

"Maybe it will take some time to adapt completely, but overall it is very good to have him. This season he has played every game for Villarreal and we have seen him many times. We are convinced about his quality.

"He is very ambitious, focused and serious. That is important at a club like ours - you need to have a complete focus on your job. He has that.

"I like the players who come from nowhere and show they can adapt. From Brazil, he has adapted to Spain. That means he has already made it and adapted in another country, and so that is another important quality."

Wenger also reiterated his desire to sign central defender this month and admits his options would have been limited even more if injuries continued to pile up.

"We needed some cover, or we would not be responsible," he said.

"We needed another centre-back because we have lost Debuchy. Nacho Monreal can play centre-back and we are a bit short there if something happens, especially with the Achilles of Koscielny since the start of the season.

"[Gabriel] can play right-back and left-back, and that is of course a good quality as well."

 

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Alonso: If Guardiola drops me, I will respect it

Xabi Alonso has admitted he could easily be dropped from the Bayern Munich team, but says he will respect Pep Guardiola's decision if the coach chooses to leave him out.

The 33-year-old has featured in 21 matches in all competitions for Bayern so far this season as his new side compete on three fronts.

Alonso acknowledged he could be left out for some games, even if the winter break has allowed him to prepare for the second half of the campaign.

"The long winter break helped me a lot, but it was my intention to play as many games as possible and help my team and my manager in the best way possible," he told reporters.

"With my other clubs I had a break but not for so long. In Spain you have one week off, in England maybe a single day. There is really a difference here in Germany and that is good for me because my mind and my legs could refresh.

"If the manager drops me, I have to respect his decision and be ready when he needs me again. I don't have to switch my style of play."

The former Real Madrid star also said he is happy to be playing with so many talented team-mates in the centre of midfield.

Alonso continued: "It is always good to play alongside such strong players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, David Alaba, Mario Gotze or anyone else.

"Of course you have to adjust in some moments to work with different qualities of the players alongside you, but in the end I don't have to change much."

 

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Olic confirms he is set to join Hamburg

Ivica Olic has revealed he is set to leave Wolfsburg and return to former side Hamburg.

Olic said he has already reached an agreement with Hamburg and will be ready to play for Josef Zinnbauer's men at the weekend when he has undergone a medical on Friday before signing an 18-month contract.

According to reports in Germany, Andre Schurrle is close to a €30 million move to Wolfsburg from Chelsea and it appears the Bundesliga side are making space for that potential move by offloading the forward.

"I'm glad we found a solution and I think all parties are happy with it," the 35-year-old Olic told Kicker.

"Now I am looking forward to playing for HSV. That is a new challenge.


"I am 35, I have prepared well during the winter break and I am ready to play against Koln on Saturday."

The Croatia international scored 29 goals in 78 Bundesliga games during his previous two-and-a-half-year spell at Hamburg before joining Bayern Munich in 2009.

 

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Neymar: There is a thing called respect

Neymar has criticised the Atletico Madrid fans who booed him during Barcelona's 3-2 Copa del Rey win on Wednesday.

The attacker netted twice for his side as they twice came from behind to win the ill-tempered game and make it 4-2 on aggregate as they progressed to the last four of the tournament.

Gabi, who was one of two Atleti players dismissed during the game, branded the Brazilian "irritating" because of his tendency to wind opponents up and he suffered the wrath of fans at the Vicente Calderon, who jeered him.

The youngster has since taken to social media to slam those responsible.

"No one is obliged to like anyone, but there is a thing called respect," he wrote on his Instagram account.

Barca coach Luis Enrique backed his in-form striker after the game, saying: "Neymar played the same as always, brimming with self-confidence."He brings a lot to the team. That is his game, nobody is going to change it and we like him to be brave."

The 22-year-old has scored 21 goals in 25 games in all competitions for Barcelona this season.

 

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Official: Swansea sign Cork from Southampton

Swansea City have completed the signing of midfielder Jack Cork from Southampton for an undisclosed fee.

The former Chelsea man, who signs a three-year deal with the Swans, played a key role in the south-coast outfit's promotion to the Premier League in 2012, and went on to make 68 top-flight appearances for the club.

However, with his contract at St Mary's Stadium set to expire in the summer, Southampton have opted to cash in on the 25-year-old rather than risk losing him for nothing.

Cork was not registered in time to play a part in Swansea's upcoming Premier League clash on Sunday, ironically against his old club Southampton.

Speaking about the midfielder prior to confirmation of his departure, Saints boss Ronald Koeman admitted that Cork had been offered a new contract but rejected it in favour of greater first-team opportunities at the Liberty Stadium.

"I said before the club offered him a contract but his feeling was not good to stay any more time in the club because he likes to play more games," said the Dutch coach.

"I can’t guarantee players that because we have tough competition between our midfield players. Harry Reed is developing in a very good way; it’s always up to the player."

 

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Pochettino fumes at 'unfair' Tottenham schedule

Mauricio Pochettino is furious with a schedule that sees Tottenham play in Italy three days before meeting Chelsea in the League Cup final.

Tottenham's continued involvement in the Europa League, along with their progression to the League Cup decider, has left them with a hectic line-up of fixtures to negotiate.

The White Hart Lane outfit travel to Fiorentina in the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie on February 26, before taking to the pitch at Wembley on the Sunday that follows.

"I think it's not fair to play in Florence on Thursday and play a final on Sunday," Pochettino said. "Chelsea have a clean week. It's not fair but this is football, we need to accept that and be ready."

Despite facing a fixture pile-up, Pochettino insists he is in no hurry to add to his squad and says Harry Kane's future is at Tottenham.

"I am really happy with my squad," he continued. "I think there is not many movements happening. I believe there will not be too many activities, but in football you never know.

"There's no doubt Kane's future is at Tottenham. I'm not worried about that and the supporters don't need to worry about that."

One man who could be on his way out of north London is Aaron Lennon, but Pochettino would not be drawn on a rumoured switch to Hull City for the winger.

"There's lot of rumours, so far it's all rumours and I never comment on rumours," he added.

 

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Ginola withdraws from Fifa presidential race

David Ginola has withdrawn his controversial candidacy in the race to be the next Fifa president.

The France footballing icon had raised eyebrows when, backed by a bookmaker and asking the public for donations despite having no experience in such a role, he claimed to be gunning for Sepp Blatter's job within the world governing body.

Fellow candidate Jerome Champagne - who is now the only person who claimed to be in the running to not have confirmed if he has the backing of five football associations - slammed the ex-Tottenham attacker's methods.

It emerged that Ginola had fallen short of the €3 million funding and, though he was initially defiant that his attempt to challenge Blatter's attempt to run for a fifth term, he accepted on Friday that his chances were over.

"I have to conclude that having not obtained confirmation of the required five nominations by the deadline that unfortunately I will not be able to continue with my Fifa presidential candidacy," Ginola said in a statement.

"Contrary to some reports, I did not withdraw. Just as I did as a player, I gave everything until the final whistle.

"Today I have mixed emotions. There is disappointment, anger but there is also hope. I'm very proud of my campaign and the policies I proposed to reform football.

"I have sent the detailed policy document to all of the 209 Member Associations as well as to the presidents of the six confederations including Mr Blatter of Fifa and Michel Platini of Uefa.

"If in the coming months and years even one of my ideas is discussed at the highest level then this will be a victory. Already I feel we have created some hope that the people who love football can have their voice heard and make a difference.

"I want to thank all those who supported me: football fans, member associations, players and journalists. I am a stronger person for this experience.

"I have no regrets. And the fight to put transparency, democracy and equality at the heart of the game we love goes on."

Ginola's withdrawal means that the definite Fifa candidates are ex-Real Madrid superstar Luis Figo, Dutch FA head Michael van Praag, Jordanian royalty Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and current incumbent Blatter.

While the aforementioned four are believed to have the support of at least five football associations, Champagne's legitimacy is unknown as he has not confirmed this is the case for him yet.

 

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West Ham agree to sign Hendrie

West Ham have completed the signing of Hamilton defender Stephen Hendrie, with the left-back set to move to Upton Park at the end of the season.

The 20-year-old has been close to agreeing a deal with Sam Allardyce's side despite interest from other Premier League outfits as well as Celtic.

Hendrie has represented Scotland at Under-21 level and is excited at the prospect of moving to the English top flight.

"I'm thrilled to bits," he said. "I can't believe that it's happened. West Ham is such a massive club with a massive fan base and I just cannot wait to get started. I'm looking forward to it.

"I think the Premier League's the best league in the world and you want to play at the highest level you possibly can. Since I was a kid I always wanted to play in the Premier League and I've got a fantastic chance to do that now."

"I know that the atmosphere is electric at the Boleyn Ground. The fans are brilliant and we've moving to a bigger stadium and it'll be even better, so I'm looking forward to that too."

 

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Cuadrado is joining Chelsea, confirms Fiorentina boss

Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has confirmed that Juan Cuadrado will join Chelsea imminently, with Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah set to move to Florence.

The Blues had finally landed a deal for the Colombian on Thursday, agreeing to pay €33 million for the attacker, just shy of his buyout clause.

And Montella, who was alleged to be ready to walk out on the Viola should they sell Cuadrado, has now revealed that the 26-year-old will move to Stamford Bridge - but is excited by the potential of his replacement, Salah.

"Obviously as a coach I'm sorry for Cuadrado's transfer but Fiorentina have done the right thing. If Juan has cost so much it is because he's worth it, meanwhile Salah comes to us," the Fiorentina boss told reporters.

"We'll see how long it will take for Salah to be integrated. Technically he's similar to Cuadrado but he cannot do the defensive side, though he is still a great player."

Salah is expected to join Fiorentina on an 18-month loan deal while another attacker, Andre Schurrle, is closing in on a move back to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

Cuadrado is thought to have already said his goodbyes to his Fiorentina team-mates and agreed personal terms with the Blues, but his signing will come too late to play any part in Chelsea's top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City on Saturday.

 

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Arda Turan avoids ban for linesman boot throw

Arda Turan has avoided any sort of retrospective suspension for throwing his boot at the linesman in Atletico Madrid's midweek defeat to Barcelona.

Diego Simeone's men were eliminated from the Copa del Rey in a 3-2 second-leg defeat on Wednesday, having lost the first leg 1-0 at Camp Nou, and the game was full of controversial moments.

Atletico finished the evening with nine men but they could have been reduced further had the referee taken more of an issue with Arda throwing his boot at the linesman in anger, but instead the Turk only received a booking.

The referee's report of the Copa del Rey quarter-final said "Arda threw his boot away", rather than insinuating the midfielder had attempted to hit his fellow official with the footwear, and so he will not miss any upcoming Atletico matches.

Barca veteran Xavi was disgusted with the incident and slammed the decision not to hand Arda a ban of some sort for his behaviour at the Vicente Calderon.

"I'm surprised about it - it should have been a straight red card," the midfielder told reporters on Friday. "But it's clearly not the job of players to make these decisions. For me it is red card as it was an unacceptable reaction."

Simeone, who unexpectedly guided the Rojiblancos to La Liga glory last year, defended his players' actions in the feisty Barca clash and thinks the boisterous nature of his team is part of what has made them successful.

"To fight with the best improves you," the Argentine coach said. "This is a great value of our team and we should keep it."

He also responded to suggestions from Spanish TV show Deportes Cuatro that he harassed Neymar at half-time and swore at the referee, adding: "Both accusations are lies."

 

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Official: Olic returns to Hamburg

Veteran striker Ivica Olic has left Bundesliga high-flyers Wolfsburg and joined his former club Hamburg after passing a medical on Friday.

The Croatia international, 35, has signed an 18-month deal with Josef Zinnbauer's side on the eve of their first game since the mid-season break against Cologne.

Olic left Hamburg to join Bayern Munich in 2009 after two-and-a-half years at the Imtech Arena following his move CSKA Moscow.Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs is disappointed that Olic has opted to leave the club, but wished him well.

He told the club's official website: "When Ivica came to us, we made it very clear to him that we consider him a very important member of our squad, whom we would be relying on in the latter half of the season.

"The player's wish to make the move was so great though, that we decided not to get in his way."For over two and a half years, he has been a vitally important element in the development made at Wolfsburg and he had a significant part to play in our success."

Olic, who has scored five goals in 14 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, leaves a Wolfsburg side who are second in the table to join a side placed 14th - level on points with Werder Bremen, who are perched in the relegation zone.

 

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I’m as good as Mourinho and Bielsa - Courbis

Rolland Courbis, coach of Ligue 1 side Montpellier, has suggested the job he has done this season is as good as anyone around Europe including Jose Mourinho.

The former Marseille boss has led the Stade de la Mosson outfit to sixth in Le Championnat after steering them clear of relegation last term and has suggested that even Chelsea manager Mourinho could not have matched his achievement.

“When I arrived at Montpellier, 18 months after the title was won, the team was in the process of falling apart. It wasn’t solid defensively, it wasn’t effective offensively, and the confidence was shot,” he told Le Parisien.

“Ask Loulou [Montpellier owner Louis Nicollin] if Mourinho would have done a better job than me. I’m not sure.

“I heard Mourinho, whose team conceded five against Tottenham and four against Bradford, saying that he still lacks two or three good players.

“I laughed so hard I broke my ribs.”

Equally, Courbis took aim at Marseille boss Marcelo Bielsa, who has been widely praised in France for leading OM’s unexpected challenge for the Ligue 1 title.

“I don’t understand the praise,” the former boss at Stade Velodrome replied. “Marseille were seven points clear at one stage and have been knocked out of both the cups at the first attempt.

“So I will not congratulate a team that has 44 points with the matches they have played. We have never seen a team who have lost six matches at this stage of the season become champions.”

Montpellier were forced to sell prized-assets Benjamin Stambouli and Remy Cabella in the summer and Courbis noted it was a “real accomplishment” to have maintained a high level of performance without the duo, but did note “this does not stop us asking ourselves where we would be if they had stayed”.

 

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Xavi: Zero importance in Messi's Luis Enrique row

Xavi has insisted that the row behind the scenes at Barcelona between Luis Enrique and Lionel Messi will have "zero importance" for the remainder of 2014-15.

Reports surfaced that the pair's relationship was beyond repair earlier this month, with the coach rumoured to be on the verge of the sack as Barca pleaded with Messi to stay, although recent good results have lessened the air of negativity around Camp Nou.

Defender Jeremy Mathieu broke the silence from within the Catalan club by confirming on Thursday that there was an incident in training which saw Messi and Luis Enrique engage in a heated argument.

However, veteran midfielder Xavi has insisted that there is nothing abnormal about a coach and a player falling out temporarily and suggested such moments of tension between colleagues can happen hundreds of times over the course of a season.

"[The row Mathieu spoke about] was a normal situation in a season and it often happens when people work together," he told reporters on Friday. "People want to complain, but we should not give it more importance, it happened in the heat of the moment.

"The row subject is closed, Barca are together - everybody is motivated and, honestly, we are together. Jeremy's words are not affecting us, we found a solution to that incident and moved on.

"The importance attributed to the row is zero. This is not the first time such a thing has happened, it happens with a lot of team-mates, it's just what occurs when people work together.

"We all want to win, there are sometimes stressful situations that happen during the training sessions - that happened and will happen 200 times."

Xavi also discussed the impact Neymar is having at Barca, as the Brazilian's impressive second season continues in Spain, with the attacker having scored 21 goals in 25 appearances under Luis Enrique.

"Neymar is an extraordinary player that is making the difference for us," he said, following Neymar's double as Barca knocked Atletico Madrid out of the Copa del Rey in midweek.

"He will always be affected they the rough play of the others, but he is used to it and he's happy. The critics on Neymar are overplaying what he said.

"Due to his style of play, and his understanding of football, it is hard to change his persona. You need to know how to lose and to win, but this is not Neymar's situation.

"Just a few people can make a difference at a club like Barcelona at the age of 22. If he keeps on his current trajectory, he will soon be considered among the list of the best players of the world, if he's not already one. Neymar's future is immense and extraordinary."

 

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Ban could be the making of Diego Costa - Pellegrini


Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes Chelsea striker Diego Costa’s three-match ban could be a blessing in disguise for the hot-headed Spain international.

The reigning Premier League champions take on the league leaders at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but Jose Mourinho will be unable to call upon his top scorer after Costa was handed a suspension for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can in the League Cup semi-final second leg.

Chelsea unsuccessfully challenged the charge, meaning the former Atletico Madrid frontman will miss games against City, Aston Villa and Everton.

While Pellegrini admits the Blues will be worse off without Costa, who has scored 17 league goals this season, the Chilean is convinced that the ban could be a good thing for the Spaniard and may help reform some of his more volatile ways.

“I think he is a very good player, a very important player,” said the City boss ahead of his side’s meeting with Chelsea.

“Maybe he is not an easy character, but I hope with this punishment that it will be a good thing for him for him to change a little bit in the future.

“He does not need to do that kind of thing because he is a top player.”

Pellegrini, meanwhile, also confirmed that Sami Nasri could make a return to the squad for the trip to west London, also playing down the significance of the game in the race for the title.

 

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Nasri could return for Chelsea clash, reveals Pellegrini

Sami Nasri could make a surprise return to the Manchester City squad for Saturday’s heavyweight clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed.

The French midfielder has been sidelined since mid-January with a calf injury and had been expected to miss three weeks, but he has recovered quicker than expected.

Nasri could be named on the bench against the league leaders, which would be a welcome boost due to the absence of Yaya Toure. The former Arsenal man has replaced him with success previously this season, as he scored and assisted against Roma when the Ivory Coast star was suspended in the Champions League.

“Samir has worked normally in the last couple of days. Maybe it's too soon but we will see if he can be on the bench,” said Pellegrini at his pre-match press conference.

“[Yaya is] an important player but we qualified against Roma and beat Bayern without him. Teams don’t depend on one player.”

Reigning champions City are five points adrift of Chelsea, having lost last time out against Arsenal, and despite the prospect of falling eight points behind their rivals Pellegrini does not believe Saturday’s game will be decisive in the race for the title.

“It's a very important game, but not the game that will decide the title, because after that we have 45 points more to play for,” added the Chilean.

“Some years ago we saw that when this club won the title when they were eight points behind Manchester United [with six games to go].”

 

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Van Gaal confirms Fletcher talks with West Ham

Darren Fletcher is close to completing a move from Manchester United to West Ham, according to Louis van Gaal.

The Scotland international has made just four Premier League appearances in 2014-15 and Sam Allardyce has been keen to push through a move for the midfielder.

Fletcher is at West Ham for talks as he seeks regular playing time, with Van Gaal sad to see the 30-year-old go.

"He is at West Ham now I believe, so we will have to wait and see," Van Gaal told reporters

"He is my third captain so he is an important guy in the dressing room, I like him as a person so we shall miss him.

"He hasn't played many times and that's always the main goal of a player. We spoke about it and he prefers to play."

Hammers manager Allardyce was optimistic of sealing the signing on Thursday, with West Brom boss Tony Pulis also confirming his interest in Fletcher.

 

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Ronaldo aware of his mistake, insists Ancelotti


Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has insisted Cristiano Ronaldo is fully aware that his behaviour in the 2-1 win over Cordoba last weekend was unacceptable.

The forward lost his temper towards the closing stages of the game and was shown a straight red card after kicking Cordoba defender Edimar.

Ronaldo was consequently handed a two-match suspension and Ancelotti has stressed the 29-year-old will use his absence to make sure he is on top of his game again when he returns versus Atletico Madrid.

"He was the first to apologise after what happened against Cordoba. He made a mistake and is fully aware of it. He has apologised for his actions and will accept his suspension without any objections," Ancelotti said at a press conference.

"A suspension is obviously never a good thing, but he will use his absence to work on his fitness and get back to his best so he will be ready for the match against Atletico Madrid.

"He does not have any problems with his knee or any other physical issues. He will be there for the game versus Atletico.

"He has fully recovered from his tendon problem. There is absolutely no truth in reports that he is injured."

Ronaldo has already netted 28 goals in 18 La Liga appearances so far this season, but will miss this weekend's match versus Real Sociedad and the game against Sevilla through suspension.

 

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Injured Carrick sidelined for four weeks

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed Michael Carrick has been ruled out for four weeks with a muscle rupture.

The England international has impressed in both midfield and defence after missing the first three months of the season, and was ever-present during United's eight-match winning run earlier in the campaign.

But the former Tottenham man now looks set to miss up to six matches, including trips to West Ham and Swansea City.

The former Netherlands coach did admit, however, that Ashley Young is nearing a return to fitness following a hamstring injury.

The winger has been missing since the start of January after he limped off during the 1-1 draw with Stoke City.

 

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Carrick nathi 1kanam loku paduwak weianthima tike Mid & Defence balance kale Carrick

Get well soon Carrick!​