The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Messi in line for fourth successive Player of Year award Posted: 29 Oct 2012 08:53 AM PDT  Barcelona's Lionel Messi (L) is congratulated by former soccer player Luis Suarez during the Golden Boot award ceremony in Barcelona, October 29, 2012. Messi won the trophy for scoring the most goals in Europe's domestic leagues last season. – Reuters pic The 25-year-old, who took his career tally for club and country to 301 goals on Saturday, was among the 23 players named in the list which includes Real Madrid and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, runner-up to Messi in last year's vote. Andres Iniesta of Barcelona, named the Player of the Tournament after Spain retained their title at Euro 2012 is also included as is Radamel Falcao, who has been in brilliant scoring form all year for Colombia and Atletico Madrid, helping his club win the Europa League last season. Barca coach Tito Vilanova showered praise on Messi at a news conference today. "I don't think we'll see a player like him again. Not only for the goals he scores but for the ability he has to read the game," he said before hailing Iniesta. "He is the clear example of a player trained at the Masia (Barcelona youth academy) who reaches the top. He is another one of those players of a quality that Barca will find it tough to produce again." Ten men are also named on the shortlist for Coach of the Year Award including Vicente del Bosque, who led Spain to the Euro 2012 title in Ukraine and Poland in July. Roberto Di Matteo, who took over at Chelsea two months before they won the Champions League in May, is also on the list but there is no place for Frenchman Herve Renard who led Zambia to an unlikely victory in the African Nations Cup in February. The shortlists will be whittled down to a final selection of three at the end of November with the winners announced at a globally televised gala ceremony in Zurich on Jan.7 next year. Players (in alphabetical order): Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Mario Balotelli (Italy), Karim Benzema (France), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Sergio Busquets (Spain), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Gerard Pique (Spain), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Wayne Rooney (England), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast), Robin van Persie (Netherlands), Xavi (Spain). Coaches (in alphabetical order): Vicente del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Roberto Di Matteo (Italy/Chelsea), Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United), Pep Guardiola (Spain/Barcelona former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), Joachim Low (Germany/Germany national team), Roberto Mancini (Italy/Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid), Cesare Prandelli (Italy/Italy national team). – Reuters |
| English game heading into fresh Chelsea crisis Posted: 29 Oct 2012 08:01 AM PDT  Chelsea's John Obi Mikel (L) is shown a yellow card by referee Mark Clattenburg during their English Premier league soccer match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London October 28, 2012. Premier League referee Clattenburg could find himself in hot water after Chelsea lodged an official complaint about him using 'inappropriate language' to two of their players in a tumultuous 3-2 defeat by Manchester United on Sunday. – Reuters pic When it arrives, it is likely to plunge English soccer, which is only just recovering from one damaging crisis surrounding Chelsea, straight back into a new one involving the European champions. Chelsea said Clattenburg, who sent off two home players – Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres – in the highly-charged 3-2 Stamford Bridge defeat, used "inappropriate language" towards two players. The club would not name the players in question or of what nature the remarks were, but a spokesman refused to deny that Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel had visited the referee's room after the game. Mikel was booked for dissent during the second half. Chelsea's decision to lodge a complaint against the FIFA-listed referee is largely unprecedented. The club spokesman told reporters: "We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate with regards to inappropriate language used by the referee and directed at two of our players in two separate incidents. "The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association. We will make no further comment at this time." Clattenburg not only sent off two players but the officials rubbed salt into Chelsea's wounds by allowing Javier Hernandez's 75th minute goal that swung the outcome United's way to stand, even though he was marginally offside before scoring. UTMOST SERIOUSNESS The referee has yet to comment but the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMO), which manages top English referees, said in a statement that Chelsea's allegations were "being treated with the utmost seriousness". Clattenburg will co-operate fully and "welcomes the opportunity for the facts to be established," it added. A number of today's British newspapers simply had the headline "Accused" on their back pages as featured in The Independent, Daily Mirror and Daily Express. The Guardian had a banner headline "Ref in Chelsea race row" while the Daily Mail proclaimed "Ref Race Row" although those allegations have not been substantiated. Chelsea are currently without skipper John Terry, who has served two games of a four-match domestic ban for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand last year. That case has blighted English soccer for a year after the former England player was also ordered to appear in court accused of a racially aggravated public order offence, of which he was acquitted. The FA, however, using different standards of proof to guide its charge, found him guilty and fined him £220,000 (RM1.08 million) as well as banning him. Terry waivered his right of appeal earlier this month. Clattenburg, no stranger to controversy, was criticised by Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo for "ruining" the match. While Ivanovic could have few complaints after accidentally impeding Ashley Young when the winger was through on goal, the decision to show Torres a second yellow for diving sparked outrage on and off the pitch as he appeared to be clipped. "We must be disappointed that key decisions were wrong," Di Matteo told reporters. "At 2-2, we looked like the team that was going to win the game. It was a good game between good teams and the official ruined it. Key decisions have to be right and you don't want the referees to have such a big influence. "I think it's obvious in the eyes of everybody that the second yellow for Fernando was wrong. It was a foul for us and probably he should have booked their player. "Their winning goal was an offside goal. It's a shame a game like that had to be decided by officials in that manner. Surely when he sees it, he will realise that he made big mistakes." Torres' Spanish compatriot Juan Mata, who brought Chelsea back into the game at 2-1 with a stunning free kick, said Torres's dismissal was "incomprehensible". "But I prefer to focus on the positives from the game – we competed against a great opponent and responded well to falling behind," he added. Despite trailing 2-0 and clawing their way back to 2-2, yesterday's defeat was Chelsea's first in the Premier League this season but they remained top of the table on 22 points from their opening nine games – one point clear of Manchester United and champions Manchester City. – Reuters |
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