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STOCKHOLM (AP)—A quartet of center backs were chosen by Sweden coach Erik Hamren to replace injured Celtic defender Daniel Majstorovic and suspended Olof Mellberg against Moldova in 2012 European Championship qualifying.

Hamren picked Michael Almeback, Mikael Antonsson, Andreas Granqvist and Jonas Olsson in a 20-man squad on Tuesday for the March 29 game in Solna.

AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who returned from self-imposed exile from international football in July, was also included.

Sweden started its qualifying campaign last year with home victories against San Marino and Hungary then lost 4-1 to the Netherlands.

Hamren said Moldova was better than its ranking and had a strong defense, but said Sweden was set on performing well.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland (FC Copenhagen).

Defenders: Michael Almeback (Orebro), Mikael Antonsson (FC Copenhagen), Andreas Granqvist (Groningen), Mikael Lustig (Rosenborg), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich), Oscar Wendt (FC Copenhagen).

Midfielders: Emir Bajrami (FC Twente), Rasmus Elm (Alkaar), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham), Martin Olsson (Blackburn), Pontus Wernbloom (AZ Alkmaar), Christian Wilhelmsson (Al Hilal).

Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan), Marcus Berg (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Elmander (Bolton), Alexander Gerndt (Helsingborg), Markus Rosenberg (Santander).

Labels: Majstorovic, Mellberg, quartet, replaces, Sweden

MOSCOW (AP)—A Montenegrin striker who fell out of favor with his Russian Premier League club Kuban Krasnodar says he was beaten into terminating his contract.

Nikola Nikezic has written to UEFA and FIFA claiming he was beaten on March 7 by two men in an office at the club’s headquarters in Krasnodar in southern Russia.

A copy of the letter was posted on Tuesday on the website of the union of Russian footballers and coaches, along with a video message by Nikezic, who says the two men who beat him had guns and threatened to “make an invalid” out of him.

He says he signed a contract termination out of fear for his life.

The 29-year-old forward says he has been told he’s not wanted at Kuban, which began its league season on Sunday with a 2-0 home loss to Rubin Kazan.

Labels: beaten, breaking, contract, player, Russian

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March 1 (Reuters) - Scottish Cup fifth round replay fixture (time GMT).

Playing on Wednesday Celtic v Rangers (1945)

(Compiled by Infostrada Sports; Editing by Toby Davis)

Labels: fixture, Reuters, Scottish

Labels: English, fixtures, league, PREMIER, Reuters

Labels: fixtures, Reuters, Serie

BARCELONA, Spain (AP)—Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola may miss his team’s Spanish league match at Valencia due to lower back pain.

The Spanish champions say Guardiola missed training Tuesday to undergo treatment for the problem and may not make the trip to Valencia on Wednesday. Assistant coach Tito Vilanova will take charge if the 40-year-old Guardiola is unable to make it.

While Guardiola was absent from training, Xavi Hernandez continued his recovery from a leg injury. Defender Carles Puyol and goalkeeper Victor Valdes again trained separately with next week’s Champions League match against Arsenal in mind.

Barcelona goes to third-place Valencia with a seven-point lead over Real Madrid.

Labels: force, Guardiola, Valencia

ZURICH (AP)—FIFA is warning that a long-established e-mail fraud scam now claims to be connected to the World Cups being organized in Russia and Qatar.

FIFA says it has been alerted to e-mails inviting people to submit tenders for World Cup contracts or claim competition prizes.

Recipients are asked to provide personal information or advance payments to the fraudsters.

The scam is known as a “419,” named for a section of the Nigerian legal code it violates.

FIFA says the e-mails have no authorization from it, the 2018 World Cup being hosted by Russia or the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Labels: Email, Fraud, Scams, warns, World

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Labels: Domain, email, iPads, iPhone, Personal

BORDEAUX, France, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Girondins Bordeaux coach Jean Tigana has decided to stay after his resignation was rejected and a meeting with club officials on Monday reassured him about his position and the side’s prospects.

“The doubts have been lifted, it’s all in the past,” Tigana told reporters after leaving the meeting.

The 2009 French champions are mired in midtable and lost 5-1 at FC Lorient on Feb. 19 but had given their under pressure coach a boost by beating Auxerre 3-0 on Saturday.

The former Fulham boss cut an enigmatic figure in the post-match news conference following the Auxerre game however, hinting all was not well.

His assistant coach Michel Pavon also left in mysterious circumstances last week.

Tigana only took over at Bordeaux in the close-season when Laurent Blanc left to coach France and knew his task would be difficult when the club sold top midfielder Yoann Gourcuff to Olympique Lyon in August.

Striker Marouane Chamakh also quit to join Arsenal last year.

(Reporting by Claude Canellas, writing by Mark Meadows; Editing by Justin Palmer;

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: after, Bordeaux, coach, Reuters, stays, talks, Tigana

LONDON (AP)—One is accused of accidentally shooting a young intern with an air rifle. The other is under fire for elbowing an opponent in the head.

Despite the latest incidents that have further tarnished their reputations, Chelsea defender Ashley Cole and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney have been cleared to play Tuesday in one of the most highly anticipated games of the Premier League season.

While Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti accepts Cole “stepped over the line” in accidentally shooting an intern at the team’s training ground eight days ago, a fine is the harshest punishment facing the defender.

Rooney can play after The Football Association conceded it was powerless to ban him for elbowing a Wigan player in an off-the-ball incident on Saturday’s league match.

The transgressions have raised fresh questions about players’ conduct on and off the pitch and the lack of desire to ensure they face stricter punishments.

Ancelotti insisted there was “no way” Cole would be fired after the left back played around with a .22 air gun and accidentally left sports sciences student Tom Cowan—who is on a one-year internship at Chelsea—wounded and bleeding .

Chelsea had hoped the incident would never be made public, with the details only emerging in the News of the World tabloid on Sunday exactly a week after the shooting.

Even after the front-page story was published, Chelsea stressed that despite the severity of the incident it wouldn’t comment on an “internal matter,” dismissing it in the same tone as transfer speculation.

Even on Monday, Ancelotti stressed that Cole “always had very good behavior here.”

“Who didn’t make a mistake in his life?” the Italian asked reporters. “The mistake was that the gun was here in Cobham. We didn’t know the gun was here … (the) players aren’t out of control.”

Despite Ancelotti praising Cole, the air rifle incident last Sunday is not the first time Cole has attracted negative publicity.

While few doubt his abilities on the pitch—the 30-year-old Cole is the England national team’s most-capped fullback—he has been criticized for poor conduct on the pitch and cheating on his pop star wife Cheryl Cole.

“Obviously, we are not happy with what happened, but I have spoken with him,” Ancelotti said. “He was very disappointed with this, and said sorry. It was an accident. We have taken proper action but tomorrow he will play.”

Ancelotti can’t afford to drop Cole, with Chelsea in danger of missing out on the Champions League places as it sits in fifth place and 15 points adrift of leader United.

“It is a very important game for the futures of Manchester United and Chelsea,” Ancelotti said. “It will not be easy because Manchester United has until now been the best team in the Premier League. It is very difficult for us to close this gap … and to come back. Manchester United can decide its destiny.”

And as United heads toward a record-breaking 19th English title, a siege mentality exists at Old Trafford.

While Cole accidentally discharged a lead pellet, United manager Alex Ferguson is figuratively shooting the messenger over the Rooney incident.

“As it is Wayne, the press will raise a campaign to get him hung or electrocuted, something like that,” Ferguson told United’s in-house television channel.

Referee Mark Clattenburg didn’t book Rooney on Saturday for taking a swipe at the back of James McCarthy’s head after the Wigan midfielder had appeared set to block his run.

The body that manages referees in England defended Clattenburg’s decision.

“Match officials are trained to prioritize following the ball, as that’s where the greater majority of incidents are going to take place,” Professional Game Match Officials general manager Mike Riley said. “In this incident Mark was following play but caught sight of two players coming together and he awarded a free kick because he believed one player had impeded the other.

“We should be clear that Mark did nothing wrong in officiating this incident as he acted on what he saw on the pitch.”

FIFA rules prevent the FA from retrospectively imposing a stern sanction on Rooney after reviewing video evidence, but that hasn’t stopped the striker’s temperament being condemned—and not for the first time.

It has been a lackluster injury-plagued season for the 25-year-old Rooney on the pitch. And he was kept out of the team after being accused of cheating on his then-pregnant wife with prostitutes.

Labels: battle, Football, Rooney

MADRID (AP)—David Navarro produced a performance fitting for Oscar night.

The Valencia defender elbowed Fernando Llorente in the back of the head while jumping for a ball that flew high over the pair, and then fell to ground clutching his own noggin in apparent agony.

While Llorente was eventually led to the sidelines for treatment and quickly returned to action, Navarro remained motionless before being removed on a stretcher. Seconds later, the Valencia captain was back on the field to help his team rally from a 1-0 deficit to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Sunday in the Spanish league.

“He deserves an Oscar for what he did,” Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose said Monday, referring to the American movie awards ceremony that took place Sunday night in Los Angeles. “David Navarro’s attitude is really disgusting. Football is a contact sport and you can give your opponent a blow with an elbow but if that happens you have to own up to it and not throw yourself on the ground. That’s the worst thing about it.”

Replays showed that Navarro’s head did not make contact with anyone or anything during the play, while Bilbao.

Navarro has previously served a six-month ban from all national and international matches for his part in a melee during a Champions League game in 2007. Navarro came off the bench and punched Inter Milan defender Nicolas Burdisso from behind, breaking the Argentine player’s nose.

Llorente, who said Navarro was a dangerous player, called on Spanish officials to review the incident and impose a ban after he needed three stitches because of the incident.

“No doubt tonight they’ll give him the Oscar,” Llorente said after the match. “What a referee. Knowing how this player is and then to allow these types of things is shameful. I’m outraged.

“I’m tired of this, that no one wants to stop these types of players. He was trying to intimidate me all game because that’s the only way he knows how to play.”

TV commentators were equally critical during the broadcast.

“Navarro obviously received a tremendous shock of electricity all through his body after his elbow met (Llorente’s) head,” Canal Plus analyst Carlos Martinez said. “What David Navarro has done is very nasty.”

Navarro said he stayed down after feeling a twinge in his neck during the play.

“On the field there are a lot of hard challenges but everything stays there. I didn’t mean to hurt Llorente,” said Navarro, who clutched his forehead as he tumbled to the ground. “They saw more yellow cards than us. You should see how the legs of my teammates look.”

Labels: Athletic, David, Navarros, Oscarworthy, theatrics

SAO PAULO (AP)—It took only six matches for Ronaldinho’s return to Brazilian football to be considered a success.

Ronaldinho still isn’t playing the kind of football that twice made him the FIFA player of the year, but on Sunday he scored a decisive goal and lifted his first trophy since joining Flamengo after 10 years in European football.

“I’m euphoric,” Ronaldinho said after Flamengo’s 1-0 victory over Boavista in the Guanabara Cup final. “This is how I want to make history with Flamengo, scoring goals and winning titles.”

The goal in the Guanabara Cup—the first stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship—was Ronaldinho’s third since making his debut with the popular Brazilian club following a transfer from AC Milan in January, a move that brought him back to Brazil after thriving with some of Europe’s top clubs.

“I came to Flamengo at the right time,” the 30-year-old Ronaldinho said. “I’m very motivated to start playing well again and to be happy again.”

Ronaldinho was FIFA’s player of the year in 2004 and 2005 with Barcelona, but was struggling recently with AC Milan and decided to return home to revamp his career.

“My goal is to return to the national team as soon as possible,” he said. “I’ll keep working hard.”

Ronaldinho is yet to have a stellar performance since his debut with Flamengo on Feb. 2, but the club has won five of the six matches he played.

He scored his first goal with Flamengo with a penalty kick against Boavista in the group stage on Feb. 6, and his second came with a header against Murici in the Brazilian Cup on Feb. 16.

The 71st-minute goal on Sunday came at a crucial moment for Flamengo, which was dominating the match but was having difficulties getting past the opponent’s tight defensive scheme at the Engenhao stadium in Rio.

He curled a right-footed shot over the wall, striking it so perfectly that he began running to celebrate even before the ball hit the net. He ran near the sideline with several teammates lined up behind him, all dancing together.

The playmaker was praised and hailed in headlines across Brazil’s top newspapers on Monday.

“Ronaldinho decides with masterful goal,” the Lance sports daily said.

“Ronaldinho gives Flamengo the title,” read a front-page headline in the O Globo newspaper in Rio.

Ronaldinho signed with Flamengo in January after a controversial negotiation that involved two other Brazilian clubs, Palmeiras and Gremio, where he started his career. Ronaldinho’s agent and brother Roberto Assis negotiated with the three clubs for several days before announcing Ronaldinho’s decision to join Flamengo until the 2014 World Cup, which will be played in Brazil.

Labels: already, Brazil, return, Ronaldinhos, success

On Sunday, the United States U17 squad captured their first official CONCACAF Championship in team history. However, the trophy was less than fulfilling, given what the U.S. team showcased on their path to the championship.

In other words, results at this age are not enough, or at least less important than development. When tasked with coaching one of these development ages, the core of the team should show qualities such as: comfort on the ball, proper technique when receiving and passing, and a fundamental understanding of position and spacing on the field. Something for the players to fall back on when their superior athletic abilities decrease as other players mature.

Simply put, that is not the case with this team. While the field conditions in Jamaica were awful, there is no excuse for simple technical elements of players’ abilities being jarringly absent.

For instance, most of the players (specifically head coach Wilmer Cabrera’s outside backs) improperly received the ball throughout the tournament, even under limited pressure. A scout at a Development Academy game this weekend explained the obvious problem: The players are trapping the ball with the outside of the foot, which closes the angle and limits the field for the player.

Instead, the player should open his hips and receive the ball with the instep of the foot so the field is open and the chances to play the ball forward are multiplied by what the player can now see in front of him.

These are elements of the game that most European and South American coaches expect from even their youngest players. It is something simple, and when you are watching a game, its absence sticks out like an Eskimo in Miami.

This is not to suggest that all of the American youngsters are lacking in technical ability. There are a handful of youngsters who - given the right situation - could develop into some potent players.

For instance, Alejandro Guido demonstrates the consistency and skill-set of a player capable of making the jump to the next level.

The problem is that the rest of the team is not pushing him or any other player to make that leap - the proverbial step from playing against mediocrity to playing against the best in the world.

Instead, this team is taking reps against inferior competition to demonstrate their superior athletic abilities as opposed to working on other avenues of the game to help them at the next level.

Increasingly, the next level is moving further away from Bradenton, where the U.S. U17 team is based. Of the players who stuck with the program during the last cycle (2009) and played at the U17 World Cup, only two are shoe-ins for the U.S. U20 squad for this year’s qualifying cycle – Juan Agudelo, who played sparingly at the U17 level, and Perry Kitchen.

U.S. U20 coach Thomas Rongen spent most of his time during the last two years looking elsewhere for talent. The separation between the two coaches' philosophies is making the U17 team almost an unnecessary toil for players.

As a matter of fact, there will be Development Academies - namely D.C. United and Derby County - that produce the same amount of players for the U.S. U20 World Cup team as Cabrera and the U.S. U17 2009 World Cup team.

This alienation of the program from the rest of the U.S. soccer structure is relatively new. In previous years the U20 squad and the Olympic team both heavily depended on the talent produced by Cabrera’s age group. The 2009 U20 World Cup squad had five players from the 2007 U17 World Cup team.

However, opportunities for players are diversifying the path from the grassroots clubs up to the professional ranks. Rongen’s insistence on an all-professional squad makes the journey of Bobby Wood more significant in the future than Stefan Jerome.

Wood went from the Irvine Strikers to 1860 Munich via a connection with the German club. He worked his way up from the youth programs to the reserve team and then to the full team. Now, Wood figures to be an important piece for Rongen at the U20 level without ever appearing with the U17 team.

Jerome, on the other hand, spent two years in Bradenton with Cabrera’s program and staff. He was one of the starting forwards for the U17 team during the last cycle. Now, he is playing with Sigma Olomouc in the Czech top flight. Since his first call-up with the U20s shortly after his graduation from Bradenton, he has disappeared from Rongen’s radar.

Obviously, Cabrera does not always get the best players at this age for his program as some explore other opportunities, including Sebastian Lletget and Joseph Gyau from the last cycle - two players who played with the team during qualifying but not at the World Cup.

However, the point remains that while Cabrera has demonstrated some ability to identify and select talent, there are still players in his program who are not receiving the proper coaching for this level. These are minor issues that snowball into larger fundamental problems as the players progress to the professional level. At the end of the day, that needs to be the goal of the U17 program – to produce players ready to play at the next level, not just win CONCACAF Championships.

J.R. Eskilson is the Youth Soccer Editor at Goal.com. You can follow him on Twitter @NCAAsoccer.

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Labels: Cabreras, Championship, Commentary, Enough, Goalcom, squad, Wilmer

Inter captain Javier Zanetti says this season's battle for the Scudetto will be between three teams: the Nerazzurri, Milan and Napoli.

Despite last night's 3-0 loss by the Azzurri to the Rossoneri, the Argentine believes all three sides will be wanting to win the league at season's end.

"Independent of the result between Milan and Napoli, I am very happy with how we are playing," the defender explained to TuttoSport. "The league is great and equal this season, with three teams that will battle it out until the end."

Zanetti is pleased the Beneamata have gotten past their hectic playing schedule, which saw the side play 15 games in two months.

"Playing 15 matches is two months has cost us somewhat," he continued. "Now we have time to work hard and gain whoever has been injured."

The 37-year-old has the belief the side can overcome their one-goal deficit against Bayern Munich and claim a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

"We believe in our abilities 100 per cent. We will be going to Germany to qualify," he added. "We know it will not be easy, but we need to try."

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Labels: Between, Fought, Goalcom, Javier, Scudetto, Teams, Three, Zanetti

ZURICH (AP)—FIFA says has Zimbabwe withdrawn its bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2015 leaving Canada as the only candidate.

Canada’s bid must be evaluated and approved by the FIFA executive meeting when it meets on Wednesday and Thursday.

Canadian sports minister Gary Lunn met with FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday to promote his country’s bid.

If successful, Canada also would stage the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in 2014 as a test event.

Canada previously hosted the men’s U20 World Cup in 2007. Its women’s team also has qualified for the 16-team 2011 World Cup kicking off on June 26 in Germany.

Labels: withdraws, Womens, Zimbabwe

PRAGUE (AP)—Czech Republic defender Zdenek Pospech has been signed by German club Mainz to a two-year-contract.

Pospech’s agent Pavel Zika said Monday a deal has been signed for Pospech to move after this season when his current contract with Danish side FC Copenhagen expires.

The 32-year-old defender moved to Copenhagen in 2008 from Sparta Prague on a 3 1/2-year contract.

Pospech picked up a yellow card in a 2-0 home loss to Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16 on Feb. 22 and will miss the return leg in London.

He has scored two goals in his 24 caps for the Czech Republic.

Labels: Copenhagen, defender, Mainz, Pospech, signs

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CAIRO (AP)—The cash-strapped Egyptian Football Association is reducing the salaries of all of its employees and considering a salary cap for players.

EFA says on Tuesday it will pay employees a maximum of 15 thousand pounds ($24,500) and a minimum of 1,500 pounds.

The association says it will also consult with clubs about implementing a salary cap for players to eliminate what it calls an “exaggeration” in player wages.

Labels: Egyptian, employees, Football, reduces, wages

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says coach Luigi Del Neri must be shown faith by the club's board of directors and keep him at the Bianconeri.

The shot-stopper believes the tactician was given a chance to perform, and should be allowed to until the end of the season.

"I think he [Del Neri] should stay," the 33-year-old told Tuttosport. "The directors gave their full faith in the coach, and he should stay until the end of the season.

"When a players walks onto the pitch, it does not matter whether they like the coach or not. Their focus is on doing their role, which is the reason why they get paid. The remainder of the problems stay away.

"All the players hold Del Neri in high esteem, and up until the win against Inter, everyone was saying that he had had a good season. We now need to approach every match as if it were a final, and work out the outcomes in a month or two when the season ends."

The custodian believes his team-mates must keep their heads up for the remainder of the season, and not act as if all hope has been lost.

"We need to go onto the pitch without the air of feeling as if we are at a funeral," he expressed. "We need to remain optimistic and happy to show the coach and the fans that we want to achieve something important."

The Bianconeri are set to face league leaders and rivals Milan this weekend, and Buffon is hoping the side can end their two-match losing streak and defeat the Rossoneri.

"If on Saturday, we can find our way, we can change the way our season will finish, ending it on a high. Should we lose, we will be repeating the same mistakes that we did last season," concluded Buffon.

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Labels: Buffon, coach, Gianluigi, Goalcom, Juventus, Luigi, Remain, season, until

SINGAPORE, March 1 (Reuters) - Spanish side Real Madrid have inked a deal with a Singapore-based soccer events company aimed at building their fan-base in Asia and keeping an eye on young talent in the region.

The La Liga giants are considering setting up an academy in the city-state and could bring youngsters to Madrid to train under their coaches.

“We’ve been talking to our partner here, (events company) Centurion, about that … to have the chance to play in Singapore,” Real’s international sponsorship manager Alfonso Roberes De Cominges told Channel News Asia on Monday.

“And not only to play a match but also to run different activities related to football through Centurion, as academies, as camps and as clinics, and also to strengthen our relationships with all the football clubs as well in Singapore.”

Real had planned to play an exhibition game in Singapore as part of a pre-season tour in August but that looks unlikely as the venue is to be used for the national day parade.

The nine-times European champions first visited Asia on a pre-season tour in 2003 with stops in Thailand, Japan, China and Hong Kong. (Reporting by Tan Jinhe; Editing by Peter Rutherford; to query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Labels: Asian, build, fanbase, Reuters, Singapore

By Simon Evans

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry says he cannot get the club out of his system and would relish a return to north London.

Henry, now playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the New York Red Bulls, is Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 226 goals but left the club for Barcelona in 2007 and moved to the U.S. after three seasons in Spain.

“I love the club. Unfortunately we know I had to leave the club, for reasons I have explained many times, but although I left Arsenal you never really leave Arsenal,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“Whenever I go back I feel like I have gone home, it’s a big family and I became a fan of the club.

“I knew what it was like to beat Manchester United, I knew what it meant to the fans when we were playing against Tottenham, I knew all that, you don’t get that from one or two years, you need to live and breathe Arsenal to understand that.”

Henry trained with Arsenal, who lost to Birmingham City in Sunday’s League Cup final, during the U.S. off-season in January and maintains a close friendship with manager Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal were expected to win a first trophy since 2005 on Sunday, only to stumble against Birmingham, but Henry says Wenger would be a tough act to follow when the Frenchman, the club’s manager since 1996, eventually moves on.

However, he would like his name to be in the frame.

“It goes without saying, I would love to go back there. I hope one day I can go back, I love that club and I just want to give as much as possible to this club, after what that club gave me,” Henry, who missed Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Manchester United six years ago because of injury, said.

“I know that the day Arsene leaves is going to be a difficult one, I don’t know who can replace him. That is going to be hard. Not only the winning part of it but what he was and what he is for the club and the way he transformed the club.

“Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira amd Tony Adams were all part of it and I am sure if you ask them if they would like to come back and do something with the club they would all tell you yes. But if one day, they want me, I have joked if I go back to be the kit man or the water boy, I don’t mind, I just want to be back one day. When I don’t know— I just want to be back.”

ATTACKING MENTALITY

While the silverware has dried up, Henry said Wenger’s legacy would be about stylish football as much as trophies.

“If you talk to any Arsenal fan, or even non-Arsenal fan, they will tell you they will watch Arsenal because they know they are going to see a football game,” he said. “No disrespect to other clubs but they will enjoy watching the game.

“That is what Johan Cruyff did for Barcelona too—he brought that attacking mentality, that Dutch way, playing with wingers, playing the ball on the ground and Arsene did the same.

“To do that you have also to give credit to the club because you need your manager to be there for a long time, you can’t have a manager for five years and expect him to put his identity on the club.

“Arsene did that, he won but the club was also intelligent enough to see what he was doing and give him time to build something and now everybody talks about the ‘Arsenal way’ of playing the game and that is really because of him.”

One player who has impressed Henry with his ability to play that way this season is 19-year-old midfielder Jack Wilshere.

“I wouldn’t say I was surprised because I knew the guy was very talented but I will say that he looks more mature than I thought he would look at this stage,” Henry said.

“He is good on the ball and he isn’t scared to put his foot in. He has great vision on the ball, he is an Arsenal player — that means, he wants to play with short passes, great vision. What a great thing for some of the guys in England that he is English—that is a great boost for them.”

(Editing by Martyn Herman; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Arsenal, Family, Henry, return, Reuters, still, yearns

MILAN (AP)—Feyenoord’s 18-year-old forward Luc Castaignos has arrived in Italy for medical tests with Inter Milan ahead of his expected transfer at the end of the season.

The Gazzetta dello Sport interviewed the Dutch striker upon his arrival at a Milan airport and he says, “I’m fast and I can score. … I’m happy to be here and honored that Inter has given me this chance.”

The 1.87-meter (6-foot-2) Castaignos will finish this season with Feyenoord and then is expected to sign a multiyear deal with Inter. The clubs have apparently already agreed on a deal, without announcing details.

Labels: Castaignos, Inter, medical, Report, Tests

LONDON (AP)—For The Daily Telegraph of London, the announcement from England cricketer Steven Davies that he is gay was worthy of its front page, alongside Libya’s struggle to be rid of Moammar Gadhafi and a story about how parents should treat fevers in children.

How sad.

Two decades into the 21st century, the day when a top athlete’s sexuality is not news at all still seems so distant. It cannot come fast enough.

It reflects poorly on professional sports that the number of openly gay athletes can generally be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Gareth Thomas in rugby. The Welshman’s coming out in 2009 made him such a trailblazer that actor Mickey Rourke is talking about making a movie of his life.

In cricket, Davies is England’s first professional player to publicly announce he is gay. The wicketkeeper says he was inspired him by Thomas’ example, who “showed me it can be done.”

Davies says “there was no one to look up to” before Thomas.

And at the top of soccer?

No one. Just silence that grows more deafening with each athlete from another sport who speaks up.

Statistically, logically, naturally, there must be gay players at Manchester United, Barcelona or other big clubs. But they, their friends and families are keeping that secret for whatever reason. Like Davies before he found the courage to tell his England teammates, perhaps they dread the moment when dressing room talk turns to the subject of girlfriends.

Maybe they don’t want to be subjected to the intolerant chants that fans directed last March against Thomas. Or, like Thomas, perhaps they don’t want to be known as a gay soccer player and fear that if they come out, people will see no further than their sexuality and not see a soccer player who just happens to be gay.

Perhaps, like international rugby referee Nigel Owens or two-time Grand Slam tournament winner Amelie Mauresmo, they would prove that being openly gay is not a career-killer. Owens has said that talking about being gay was liberating, “my refereeing improved because I was happy and my career took off.”

Whatever the reason, soccer leaders should feel ashamed that gay players haven’t been made to feel comfortable enough to speak freely.

The boss of world soccer, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, in December saw fit to make light of the lack of gay rights in Qatar. With a smile, Blatter said gay fans “should refrain from any sexual activities” while in the Gulf kingdom that will host the 2022 World Cup.

Blatter later apologized. But it is no laughing matter that gay soccer players find it even harder to come out than gay politicians. It is not funny that a respected figure like Marcello Lippi, Italy’s World Cup-winning coach, felt it was acceptable to say in 2009 that gay soccer players should stay in the closet, that a gay soccer couple would create scandal in Italy and that he has never come across a gay player in four decades in the sport.

By speaking out, Davies makes such intolerance seem still more unacceptable.

“It is putting a lot more pressure on other sports, with football being the main one,” says Gary Nunn, a spokesman for British gay rights campaign group Stonewall.

“We definitely need more role models in football,” he adds. “We’re OK with our gay cricketers and gay rugby players, but with football, it’s quite concerning.”

Davies says deciding to speak about his sexuality was even more nerve-racking than facing Brett Lee, which is saying something given that the Australian bowler has fired down balls at nearly 100 mph (160 kph). The more gay athletes follow the path laid by Thomas and Davies, the closer sports get to a day when this no longer has to be on front pages.

“We want to get to the stage where this doesn’t become news,” says Nunn, “where it becomes totally matter of fact.”

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org

Labels: players, please, soccer, stand

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