A roundup of today's other soccer news in brief
Cruyff named Catalonia coach
FORMER Netherlands international Johan Cruyff (62) has been named coach of Catalonia, the autonomous Spanish communitys soccer federation (FCF) said yesterday.
Cruyff, who who will not receive any payment, moved to the Catalan capital from Ajax to play for Barcelona in 1973 and led them to a European Cup triumph as coach in 1992.
Catalonia is not recognised as a national team by soccer’s world governing body Fifa or its European equivalent Uefa but the regional team usually play a friendly against an international side in December each year. Barcelona players Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Bojan Krkic and Sergio Busquets are in the squad.
Beckham’s Milan deal confirmed
DAVID BECKHAM will rejoin AC Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in January, the two clubs announced yesterday, boosting his hopes of a England World Cup squad place. The 34-year-old midfielder will stay in Italy from January to June before returning to Galaxy and Major League Soccer.
Beckham wanted to repeat the loan deal after England coach Fabio Capello said he needed to be playing in Europe to remain a contender for the squad for the World Cup starting in South Africa on June 11th.
“I need to give myself the best chance possible to make the World Cup squad and playing for Milan on loan will help me to do that,” Beckham said.
Torres may need hernia operation
FERNANDO TORRES will this morning board Liverpool’s flight for their crucial Champions League tie in Lyon tomorrow nursing a hernia that has plagued the Spaniard for several weeks and may yet require surgery. With Steven Gerrard a confirmed absentee and also under threat of an operation that would keep him out for almost a month, the problems for a besieged Rafael Benitez appear unrelenting.
Both Torres and Gerrard were initially believed to have suffered adductor strains during last month’s World Cup qualifiers for Spain and England respectively. However, it has now emerged that Torres’s problem is a hernia that has prevented the striker training between games and explains Benitez’s awkward dilemma over how best to utilise his compatriot with Liverpool’s Champions League and title prospects on the line.
Club doctors say Torres’s and Gerrard’s injuries may be cured with rest but surgery is the only alternative if their problems persist. Also missing are are Martin Skrtel (muscle), Albert Riera (hamstring), Martin Kelly (ankle).
Portsmouth say €16.6m is a loan
PORTSMOUTH said the €16.6 million injected into the club last week by Balram Chainrai is “purely a loan” and does not raise the prospect of the Hong Kong-based businessman becoming the third owner at Fratton Park since Alexandre Gayamak departed in late August should the monies not be repaid. Mark Jacob, the lawyer of Ali al-Faraj, who bought Portsmouth last month, said: “It’s a facility provided by a third party, that’s all. Like you or I would go to a bank and borrow money on our property or whatever.”
Pearson to conduct cull at Hull
HULL CITY’S new executive chairman, Adam Pearson, will conduct a major cull in the new year in an attempt to ease the financial problems at the troubled Premier League club.
Pearson took up his position in an official capacity yesterday after succeeding Paul Duffen, who resigned as the chairman and chief executive last week when it emerged Hull had debts of €30 million. Pearson needs to find around €20 million before the end of the season to make sure Hull remain solvent and his first task will be to reduce a wage bill of €45 million – with the manager Phil Brown’s future still up in the air.
While Brown has won a stay of execution for now, he may not be around to see the overhaul of the squad that Pearson intends to implement. Those players expected to leave include George Boateng, Bernard Mendy, Richard Garcia, Peter Halmosi, Caleb Folan, Daniel Cousin, Tony Warner and Ibrahima Sonko.
Given ‘one of world’s best’
BIRMINGHAM keeper Maik Taylor has hailed his Manchester City counterpart Shay Given as one of the world’s best and believes he has become even better since his move to Eastlands.
Northern Ireland number one Taylor has played with and against some of the best goalkeepers around, including Edwin van der Sar during their spell together at Fulham.
Given pulled off a series of fine saves, most notably a second-half penalty stop from James McFadden, to earn his team a fortunate point.
“He really is one of the world’s best, not just in the Premier League, and he never put a foot wrong against us. He is really on song,” Taylor said.
