ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
SPORTS
52
Australia, Japan, S. Korea ready for showdown
Asian teams turn focus from Brazil to Asian Cup
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept 3, (AP): Less
than three months after Asia’s teams
earned just three points at the World Cup,
Australia, Japan and South Korea are
back in action and ready to put Brazil
behind them as the countdown to the
2015 Asian Cup begins.
Much has changed since June —
Australia is the only team with the same
coach in charge. Japan has a new foreign
tactician and South Korea is still seeking
a new coach after Hong Myung-bo
resigned in July.
Of the four nations that participated in
Brazil, South Korea has endured the
toughest time.
The Korea Football Association’s senior members have resigned and talks with
the Netherlands’ 2010 World Cup coach
Bert van Marwijk did not lead to an
appointment.
With just four months until the Asian
Cup kicks off in Australia, South Korea
takes on Venezuela on Friday followed
on Monday by Uruguay, which will be
without suspended star striker Luis
Suarez.
Former South Korea assistant coach
Afshin Ghotbi, now in charge of Asian
rival Iran, says South Korea needs good
results.
“”Korea had the quality and passion to
perform better at the
World Cup, and fans
and media expect to
see that,” Ghotbi
told
Associated
Press on Monday.
“These two games
are important to
restore some good
feeling in the national team and to identify players for the
Kagawa
Asian Cup just
around the corner.”
The Korean public is normally fiercely
supportive of the national team, but its
standing among the people is the lowest
in years. With just one win in the past
eight matches, players know they must
urgently improve.
Wilkins named Jordan coach
LONDON, Sept 3, (RTRS): Former
England international Ray Wilkins
has been appointed as the new
head coach of the Jordan national
team.
The Jordan Football Association
(JFA) announced on Wednesday that
Wilkins was given the job on the recommendation of Prince Ali Bin Al
Hussein, who has been head of the
Jordanian FA since he was 25.
Wilkins will take over the running of
the team next week when they return
home after playing friendlies in
Uzbekistan and China.
The JFA also announced that former
Irish
international
Frank
Stapleton had been appointed as his
assistant.
“The decision was taken under the
guidance of JFA President HRH
Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, who was
trusted by the JFA Executive Board to
choose the suitable candidate for the
Jordan National Team’s coaching
post due to his great vision in leading
Jordanian Football towards success...” the JFA announced.
Jordan’s current coaching staff,
consisting of Ahmad Abdul Qader,
Anzor Hina, Waleed Michael and
Manuel Barriounuevo, would all be
retained although their exact roles
were not revealed.
“We are ready to show that we have
recovered from the World Cup in which
we were lacking,” said Korea and
Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-yeung.
“There is no coach at the moment and
that is a little awkward and it is true that
the atmosphere around the team is unsettled but the players have to show what
they can do on the field.”
There was plenty of disappointment
elsewhere after Brazil.
Japan held hopes of making the quarterfinals at the World Cup, but like Korea,
it collected only one point. The Japan FA
moved quickly to replace Italian Alberto
Zaccheroni with Javier Aguirre, two-time
coach of the Mexican national team.
Administrators hope that the experienced tactician can install a stronger
mentality and make the Asian champion
tougher to beat. Aguirre has already omitted eleven members of the World Cup
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squad from his first selection against
Uruguay on Friday, with Yasuhito Endo,
Yasuyuki Konno and Yoshito Okubo
unlikely to feature again for the national
team.
Aguirre told reporters he would have
called on Shinji Kagawa had the midfielder
not picked up a head injury while in action
last month for Manchester United. Kagawa
has since left England to return to German
club Borussia Dortmund, while Keisuke
Honda, who scored for Milan in the opening
game of the Serie A season, has been selected in his place.
Despite failing to collect a single point in
Brazil, Australia is perhaps the most optimistic. Creditable performances by an inexperienced squad in a tough World Cup
group were better than most expected and
gave coach Ange Postecoglou something to
build on ahead of the Asian Cup.
The Socceroos face World Cup quarterfinalist Belgium in Liege on Thursday and
take the field again three days later, against
Saudi Arabia, which is also preparing for
January’s continental tournament.
Along with the fact that a number of
Australian players are struggling for
playing time in Europe, Bayer
Leverkusen’s Robbie Kruse is a doubt
after injuring his knee during training
on Tuesday and Sydney midfielder
Terry Antonis has withdrawn through
injury.
Older players arrive
Plenty of ‘leftovers’
for Italy’s Serie A
ITALY, Sept 3, (RTRS): At various
stages during the transfer window,
Juventus hoped to sign Chile forward
Alexis Sanchez and prolific Colombian
Radamel Falcao to boost their attack and
mount a serious challenge in the
Champions League this season.
Instead, they ended up with Alvaro
Morata, who spent most of last season as
a Real Madrid substitute and then suffered a knee injury
in his first training
session after his
move to Turin.
Morata, 21, has
played for Spain at
several age levels
and Juventus clearly
believe in his potential as they showed
by spending 20 million euros ($26.27
Falcao
million) on him.
But it was hardly the sort of marquee
signing to be expected from one of
Europe’s biggest and most ambitious
clubs.
Once the first choice destination for
the world’s top players, Serie A increasingly seems to be looked upon as a place
for older players to see out their careers.
Among those to arrive during the
transfer window were 33-year-old
Patrice Evra, who moved from
Manchester United to Juve, his 32-yearold former team mate Nemanja Vidic,
who joined Inter Milan, and Ashley
Cole, 33, who went from Chelsea to AS
Roma.
Verona, possibly encouraged by veteran striker Luca Toni’s scoring
achievements last season, brought in
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35-year-old Mexico defender Rafael
Marquez and former Argentina forward
Javier Saviola, 33, while 34-year-old
Mali international Seydou Keita, once
at Barcelona, joined AS Roma.
Meanwhile, fallen European giants AC
Milan, who missed out on Europe after
finishing eighth in Serie A last season,
signed misfiring Chelsea striker
Fernando Torres after they allowed maverick forward Mario Balotelli to join
Liverpool. Milan supporters have become
used to seeing their club sign players who
have struggled elsewhere, including
Michael Essien who joined last year.
Then, they also brought back Kaka for
a second stint in an attempt to revive his
career, a move known locally as “reheated soup.”
Kaka had won the World Player of the
Year award during his first stint at the
club and then moved to Real Madrid,
where he never found his best form.
Not surprisingly, his return to Milan
was less impressive than his first spell.
Clubs in countries such as Portugal
and the Netherlands seem to have
accepted their fate to act as springboards
for players moving between Latin
America, Eastern Europe or Africa and
Europe’s biggest clubs.
Colombians James Rodriguez and
Radamel Falcao sharpened their teeth at
Porto, making it their first stop in
Best of the Rest
Santos fires Oliveira: Santos has
fired coach Oswaldo de Oliveira after
poor results in the Brazilian league following the World Cup break.
Santos has had six losses in nine
league matches since the World Cup,
and dropped to 11th in the 20-team
standings. The team added former Brazil
star Robinho to the squad last month but
the struggles continued.
Oliveira coached Santos in 44 games,
winning 25 and losing 10. He previously coached the club made famous by
Pele, in 2005. Santos reportedly already
reached a deal to replace Oliveira with
newcomer Enderson Moreira, who was
without a club since being fired by
Gremio in July.
The 42-year-old Moreira is expected
to be officially introduced on
Wednesday. He gained notoriety in
Brazil after a good campaign with Goias
in 2013. (AP)
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The Philippines’ Jason de Jong (6) and Taiwan’s Weng Wei-pin (15) and Chiu J-huan (7) outdo each other to chase the ball during the Peace Cup 2014 soccer
friendly match Sept 3, at the rain-soaked Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila, Philippines. (AP)
Javi Martinez optimistic: Spain
international Javi Martinez said he was
feeling optimistic after beginning rehabilitation following a knee operation.
Two weeks ago the 26-year-old went
under the knife in Colorado to repair his
torn cruciate ligament.
Now back in Munich, he is already
set to begin physiotherapy.
“I’m feeling good and I’m taking a
positive approach. The knee’s feeling a
little better every day,” he told Bayern’s
website. “I’m severely restricted in
terms of movement at the moment, so I
have to be even more careful to eat the
right things. (AFP)
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New-look Spain set for
test vs revived France
Walker has surgery: Tottenham
Hotspur’s England right back Kyle
Walker, who has not played for the
Premier League club since March, has
had lower abdominal surgery.
“His pre-season preparations were
disrupted by the abdominal injury and
the decision to have surgery was taken
following further medical assessment
by specialists,” Spurs said on their official
website
(www.tottenhamhotspur.com).
“Kyle is good some days. On other
days he has a bad feeling. We believe he
may recover soon but we need to be
calm with him because it is an injury that
he has had for five months,” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said of the 24year-old. (RTRS)
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PARIS, Sept 3, (AFP): After
their abject failure at the
World Cup, Spain have a
new look as they begin
preparations for the defence
of
the
European
Championship with a friendly against France on
Thursday.
Van Basten given time: Marco
van Basten will not return to his post as
AZ Alkmaar coach until mid-September
after being given more time to recover
from personal and health problems, the
Dutch club said on Wednesday.
The 49-year-old Van Basten, former
European Footballer of the Year, was
given leave last week and missed the 31 win at Dordrecht on Saturday. (RTRS)
Europe following moves from South
America, while compatriots Jackson
Martinez and Juan Quintero are still at
the club.
Familiar faces, potential stars ready for action
Just over two months on from their
group-stage elimination as World
Cup holders in Brazil, coach Vicente
del Bosque takes a squad that is a
mixture of familiar faces and potential stars of the future for the match at
the Stade de France, the venue for the
Euro 2016 final.
Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso,
veterans of the side that won Euro
2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro
2012, have retired from international
football, following in the footsteps of
David Villa.
Pepe Reina, Fernando Torres and
Juan Mata were all omitted, while fitness problems of varying degrees
have ruled out Gerard Pique, Andres
Iniesta and Javi Martinez.
Of the new faces, five are uncapped
and four are aged 23 or under, includ-
African Nations Cup campaign starts
Cameroon seek fresh start after WC
YAOUNDE, Sept 3, (RTRS):
Cameroon need a fresh start after
a controversial World Cup campaign and the retirement of talismanic captain Samuel Eto’o when
they begin their African Nations
Cup qualifying campaign on
Saturday, coach Volker Finke
said.
“This is a new departure for
Cameroon, after the Brazilian
World Cup which will still haunt
the mind for a long time,” he told
reporters in Yaounde.
“I’ve had to standardise many
things and this is why I have made
some sharp changes in the selection
of the players.
“The idea is a balance between
youth and experience, to build a
competitive team for a better
future. The talent is there, but you
have to train them.
“It is possible that it can take a
while but not too much. I’m ready
to lead this reconstruction,” added
the veteran German coach, whose
contract expires after next year’s
African Nations Cup finals.
Cameroon begin their qualifying
campaign away against the
Democratic Republic of Congo in
SOCCER
Lubumbashi and then host Ivory
Coast on Wednesday in Yaounde in
a difficult start to the Group D fixtures.
Cameroon had a dreadful World
Cup, losing all three Group A
matches as they arrived on the back
of a strike by their squad over
promised payments for participation.
During the tournament in Brazil,
two of their players fought on the
field and midfielder Alex Song got
a three-match suspension for a
vicious elbow in the back of
Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic. He sits
out the two Nations Cup qualifiers
as a result.
Later the team were accused of
match fixing but the results of a
promised investigation by the
Cameroon Football Federation not
been released.
Four-time African footballer of
the Year Eto’o quit the international arena last month after 56 goals in
115
appearances
for
the
Indomitable Lions.
ing Valencia striker Paco Alcacer.
Others, like 28-year-old Atletico
Madrid midfielder Raul Garcia, have
had to wait a little longer for their
opportunity.
They all join 22-year-old Atletico
midfielder Koke, who went to the
World Cup but is now expected to
take on extra responsibility.
“It’s a team for now with a view to
two years down the line,” explained
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del Bosque after unveiling his squad,
with the aim of Thursday’s match
being to prepare for their opening
Euro 2016 qualifying Group C fixture
against Macedonia in Valencia on
Monday.
“We have come up with a squad
that is a consequence of our bad performance, (but) the World Cup has not
left any effects nor do I think we need
to change our way of acting in the
future.”
Defender Sergio Ramos, another
survivor from Euro 2008, called for
La Roja to get back to basics.
“We are going to try to get back to
what we were and forget about the
success we have had because we can’t
always live off that,” said the Real
Madrid defender, a veteran of over
100 caps, as he arrived for the squad
get-together this week.
French national football team head
coach Didier Deschamps gives a press
conference on Sept 3, on the eve of the
team’s friendly football match against
Spain at the Stade de France in SaintDenis near Paris. (AFP)
In contrast to Spain, France came
out of the World Cup with their reputation greatly enhanced, a narrow
quarter-final defeat to eventual winners Germany coming after some
impressive performances in the group
stage.
Coach Didier Deschamps is now
embarking on a two-year run of
friendlies before France hosts Euro
2016, where they will be expected to
feature prominently with a squad that
is a healthy mix of youth and experience.
Indeed, Deschamps only made
three changes to his World Cup
squad for the game and Sunday’s
friendly against Serbia in Belgrade,
with one the return of fit-again
Marseille
goalkeeper
Steve
Mandanda in place of the retired
Mickael Landreau.
Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette
and Barcelona defender Jeremy
Mathieu have also been recalled with
Arsenal duo Olivier Giroud and
Laurent Koscielny injured. But
Deschamps has admitted that his starting line-up against the reigning
European champions may be the same
as that which took to the field against
Germany at the Maracana in Rio de
Janeiro on July 4.
“We have two matches very close
together but the team which starts on
Thursday will be close to that which
started against Germany,” said
Deschamps, who added that his priority is to make sure his team are “as
competitive as possible in two
years.”
There will of course be no Franck
Ribery, the Bayern Munich winger
who missed the World Cup with a
back injury and has now retired from
international football to the surprise of
many.
France lost 2-0 to Spain at the Euro
2012 quarter-finals and finished second behind La Roja in qualifying for
the World Cup, drawing 1-1 in Madrid
and then losing 1-0 at home in Paris in
March last year.
However, full-back Bacary Sagna
insists France are a different proposition now.
“We are more respected than a few
years ago,” he said. “We have shown
that we are ready to fight, to give
everything for the shirt. We have more
confidence in ourselves. Other countries fear France more and more.
Zico into ISL
Chopra ready to
give up passport
MUMBAI, Sept 3, (Agencies): Former
Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra
is ready to surrender his British passport
to represent the country of his origin,
India, and realise his dream of playing
senior-level international soccer.
The 30-year-old Chopra, whose grandparents moved to England from
Jalandhar in Punjab in the 1950s, has
represented England at the age-group
tournaments.
He was approached by the All India
Football Federation in the past to play for
the national team but things did not work
out.
Chopra qualifies to play for India due
to his parentage as per FIFA rules but
government regulations in India allow
only a person holding a valid passport to
represent the national team.
“I was going to play for them four
years ago. But at that time I was only 26
and I was too young to give up my British
passport and travel around the world at
that age,” Chopra told Reuters in an interview. “I just had a little boy that was born
and things like that, so it would have been
difficult. My boy is six now and he has
grown up and understands what his dad
has got to do.
“So I plan to move to India and give up
my British citizenship and get an Indian
passport to play for the national team and
take them forward.”
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Chopra, who has also played for a host
of other Premier League clubs, was last
month picked by the Kerala Blasters, coowned by cricketing great Sachin
Tendulkar, for the upcoming Indian
Super League (ISL).
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Brazilian legend Zico has signed up to
coach a team in the Indian Super League,
joining other former stars in the new
franchise-based venture to be played
later this year. Zico, 61, who played in
three World Cups and has coached
around the world, will manage the Goa
franchise for the 10-week tournament
that begins in October.
The tournament has been modelled
along the lines of cricket’s cash-rich
Indian Premier League (IPL) and hopes
to raise football’s profile in the cricketmad nation.
Zico, one of Brazil’s great exponents
of “the beautiful game” who played in
World Cups from 1978 to 1986, signed
the contract in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday,
a statement from Goa franchise said.
“FC Goa is proud to announce that the
legendary Brazilian football player Zico
has agreed to be the manager of their
team that will play in the Indian Super
League,” the statement said.
It added that representatives of the
club, owned by a group of football-loving Goa businessmen, will travel to
Brazil soon to help Zico complete visa
formalities.