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Thursday, 26 March 2009
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Four bids to host Euro 2016
UEFA announced on Tuesday it had received four bids to stage the Euro 2016 championships by Monday's deadline. They are France, Italy, Turkey and a joint bid from Sweden and Norway
European football's governing body will next examine the submitted details of the bids to confirm which are eligible to go forward to the next stage.
UEFA's executive committee will take a final decision on or about May 27, 2010. The 2012 tournament will be held jointly by Poland and Ukraine.
European football's governing body will next examine the submitted details of the bids to confirm which are eligible to go forward to the next stage.
UEFA's executive committee will take a final decision on or about May 27, 2010. The 2012 tournament will be held jointly by Poland and Ukraine.
Walcott's return can fire Arsenal
Arsene Wenger hopes Theo Walcott's return to action in Sunday's FA Cup fifth round clash against Burnley will give Arsenal the momentum to keep their season alive.
Walcott is back after surgery on a shoulder injury sustained during training with England before their November friendly against Germany.
The 19-year-old, who last played for Arsenal on November 15, was in fine form before the injury and Wenger believes he can have a significant impact on a big week for the Gunners.
Victory over Championship club Burnley at the Emirates Stadium would set up a winnable home clash with Hull in the quarter-finals. Then Wenger's side travel to Italy for Wednesday's second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Roma hoping to hold onto their one-goal lead.
Wenger knows Walcott's shoulder will be tested by the physical demands of top-level competition but he expect the teenager to cope.
"It is very important to see how he will respond with his shoulder and I think he looks to be nearly there. To have him back is great and he can be very good for us," Wenger said.
"However, the difference between training and competition is different.
"Theo is very fit, but after that you have to get used to tackles and go into the challenges."
Walcott's return, and that of Croatia striker Eduardo from a hamstring injury, are perfectly timed for Wenger, who has seen his side struggle to score in recent weeks.
Arsenal ended a run of four successive goalless league draws by beating bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion in midweek, but Wenger knows he needs as many attacking options as possible for the sterner tests that lie ahead - starting with Owen Coyle's Burnley.
Wenger will not underestimate the challenge posed by the Clarets, who knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup at Turf Moor in December and also beat Chelsea and Fulham in the same competition.
"It is an important game and not one we will treat lightly. We treat it with respect and focus," Wenger said.
"We know Burnley well and that they are a good side. The Championship teams are now a serious candidate in every game.
"They have shown that recently, and we have the experience of playing Championship teams.
"The gap has been reduced between Championship teams and the Premier League - you see that in the results of the FA Cup and League Cup."
Wenger is set to rotate some of his personnel on Sunday, with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski given another chance to impress but defender Kolo Toure, who has a calf injury, will not be risked.
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor is unlikely to be match fit in time for the Roma game as he battles to recover from his own hamstring injury.
"I have to measure the consequence of resting one or two players more and having a bad game, and of making sure we get through," Wenger said.
"You give your best and make sure it works, so we will give our best and it will work.
"The best way to prepare for the next game against Roma is to win on Sunday."
Burnley have impressed with their fluent passing football this season and Coyle insists he has no intention of playing for a draw at the Emirates.
"Whoever plays for Arsenal, you can guarantee they'll be an international player and that in itself tells you the enormity of the task," Coyle said.
"But we're going to look to be positive in the game, commit players forward at each and every opportunity and see where it takes us.
"I've said before, I'm not going to set a team out to go and stop the game. We're taking over 5,000 fans and it would be remiss of me to just sit behind the ball and not offer anything in terms of an attacking threat."
Walcott is back after surgery on a shoulder injury sustained during training with England before their November friendly against Germany.
The 19-year-old, who last played for Arsenal on November 15, was in fine form before the injury and Wenger believes he can have a significant impact on a big week for the Gunners.
Victory over Championship club Burnley at the Emirates Stadium would set up a winnable home clash with Hull in the quarter-finals. Then Wenger's side travel to Italy for Wednesday's second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Roma hoping to hold onto their one-goal lead.
Wenger knows Walcott's shoulder will be tested by the physical demands of top-level competition but he expect the teenager to cope.
"It is very important to see how he will respond with his shoulder and I think he looks to be nearly there. To have him back is great and he can be very good for us," Wenger said.
"However, the difference between training and competition is different.
"Theo is very fit, but after that you have to get used to tackles and go into the challenges."
Walcott's return, and that of Croatia striker Eduardo from a hamstring injury, are perfectly timed for Wenger, who has seen his side struggle to score in recent weeks.
Arsenal ended a run of four successive goalless league draws by beating bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion in midweek, but Wenger knows he needs as many attacking options as possible for the sterner tests that lie ahead - starting with Owen Coyle's Burnley.
Wenger will not underestimate the challenge posed by the Clarets, who knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup at Turf Moor in December and also beat Chelsea and Fulham in the same competition.
"It is an important game and not one we will treat lightly. We treat it with respect and focus," Wenger said.
"We know Burnley well and that they are a good side. The Championship teams are now a serious candidate in every game.
"They have shown that recently, and we have the experience of playing Championship teams.
"The gap has been reduced between Championship teams and the Premier League - you see that in the results of the FA Cup and League Cup."
Wenger is set to rotate some of his personnel on Sunday, with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski given another chance to impress but defender Kolo Toure, who has a calf injury, will not be risked.
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor is unlikely to be match fit in time for the Roma game as he battles to recover from his own hamstring injury.
"I have to measure the consequence of resting one or two players more and having a bad game, and of making sure we get through," Wenger said.
"You give your best and make sure it works, so we will give our best and it will work.
"The best way to prepare for the next game against Roma is to win on Sunday."
Burnley have impressed with their fluent passing football this season and Coyle insists he has no intention of playing for a draw at the Emirates.
"Whoever plays for Arsenal, you can guarantee they'll be an international player and that in itself tells you the enormity of the task," Coyle said.
"But we're going to look to be positive in the game, commit players forward at each and every opportunity and see where it takes us.
"I've said before, I'm not going to set a team out to go and stop the game. We're taking over 5,000 fans and it would be remiss of me to just sit behind the ball and not offer anything in terms of an attacking threat."
Liverpool count on fans to beat Real
When it comes to experience of high-pressure European encounters, Real Madrid can hardly be placed in the category of innocent novices.
But even a club that can point to a trophy cabinet weighed down by nine European Cups, occasionally finds itself confronted with a new frontier, and Tuesday's visit to Liverpool certainly has that kind of feel about it.
Having lost the tactical battle in the Bernabeu two weeks ago, Real's players will duck under the "This is Anfield" sign with some trepidation before they embark on their attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit against opponents for whom the Champions League looks increasingly like a last chance of silverware this season.
One veteran of such occasions is expecting the magical atmosphere of Anfield on a European night to compromise Real's chances of denying Liverpool a place in the last eight.
"Madrid haven't played at Anfield and they won't be ready for the atmosphere," said the former Reds striker Ian Rush.
"They'll say they know about it but look at Juventus in 2005. They said they were expecting it, but were blown away in the first-half. Chelsea were 1-0 down before they knew it that year too.
"When the players walk out onto the Anfield pitch in the Champions League it's a completely different atmosphere to anything you'll find anywhere else, and that could be the difference for us."
Liverpool's win in Madrid, courtesy of an unlikely header from Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun, underlined the vulnerability of Juande Ramos's side, as well as making a mockery of pre-match comments from Real's Dutch forward, Rafael van der Vaart, who had claimed the Merseysiders "were a little bit scared" by his club's reputation.
In recent years it has been Liverpool, rather than Real, who have been performing like aristocrats of the European game.
As a result, their Brazilian left-back, Fabio Aurelio, believes Tuesday's second leg is not one they will approach with any apprehension.
"If you look at the last few Champions League campaigns, Liverpool have been in the last four consistently," Aurelio said. "And we have reached two finals in recent seasons. Where were Madrid? They are a great club with great history in Europe, but Liverpool are also famous in the competition."
As a former Manchester Untied player, Real defender Gabriel Heinze knows how significant a role the "beautiful" atmosphere at Anfield can play in shaping the outcome of matches there.
But the Argentina international is bullish about his team-mates ability to buck the trend.
"It will not affect us because we are used to playing in this type of atmosphere," he said. "We just have to get a good result."
A draw with local rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday ended Real's ten-match winning run in La Liga while Liverpool were enjoying a weekend off and keeping their fingers crossed that the rest will have helped Fernando Torres complete his recovery from an ankle injury he incurred in the first leg.
Having watched his side fail to create a single meaningful chance in that match, Ramos has billed the trip to Anfield as a "life or death" encounter and promised his players will battle "to our last drop of blood."
Delivering on such hyperbolic claims could be made easier by the return from injury of Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, a player who combines technical excellence with a feisty spirit, and has a habit of displaying both when it matters most.
But even a club that can point to a trophy cabinet weighed down by nine European Cups, occasionally finds itself confronted with a new frontier, and Tuesday's visit to Liverpool certainly has that kind of feel about it.
Having lost the tactical battle in the Bernabeu two weeks ago, Real's players will duck under the "This is Anfield" sign with some trepidation before they embark on their attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit against opponents for whom the Champions League looks increasingly like a last chance of silverware this season.
One veteran of such occasions is expecting the magical atmosphere of Anfield on a European night to compromise Real's chances of denying Liverpool a place in the last eight.
"Madrid haven't played at Anfield and they won't be ready for the atmosphere," said the former Reds striker Ian Rush.
"They'll say they know about it but look at Juventus in 2005. They said they were expecting it, but were blown away in the first-half. Chelsea were 1-0 down before they knew it that year too.
"When the players walk out onto the Anfield pitch in the Champions League it's a completely different atmosphere to anything you'll find anywhere else, and that could be the difference for us."
Liverpool's win in Madrid, courtesy of an unlikely header from Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun, underlined the vulnerability of Juande Ramos's side, as well as making a mockery of pre-match comments from Real's Dutch forward, Rafael van der Vaart, who had claimed the Merseysiders "were a little bit scared" by his club's reputation.
In recent years it has been Liverpool, rather than Real, who have been performing like aristocrats of the European game.
As a result, their Brazilian left-back, Fabio Aurelio, believes Tuesday's second leg is not one they will approach with any apprehension.
"If you look at the last few Champions League campaigns, Liverpool have been in the last four consistently," Aurelio said. "And we have reached two finals in recent seasons. Where were Madrid? They are a great club with great history in Europe, but Liverpool are also famous in the competition."
As a former Manchester Untied player, Real defender Gabriel Heinze knows how significant a role the "beautiful" atmosphere at Anfield can play in shaping the outcome of matches there.
But the Argentina international is bullish about his team-mates ability to buck the trend.
"It will not affect us because we are used to playing in this type of atmosphere," he said. "We just have to get a good result."
A draw with local rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday ended Real's ten-match winning run in La Liga while Liverpool were enjoying a weekend off and keeping their fingers crossed that the rest will have helped Fernando Torres complete his recovery from an ankle injury he incurred in the first leg.
Having watched his side fail to create a single meaningful chance in that match, Ramos has billed the trip to Anfield as a "life or death" encounter and promised his players will battle "to our last drop of blood."
Delivering on such hyperbolic claims could be made easier by the return from injury of Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, a player who combines technical excellence with a feisty spirit, and has a habit of displaying both when it matters most.
Artest leads Rockets to 97-95 win over Nuggets
Even the return of Kenyon Martin couldn't snap the Denver Nuggets out of their funk. Ron Artest scored 22 points and Aaron Brooks added 19 in the Houston Rockets' 97-95 win over the fading Nuggets on Monday night.
Brooks sank one of two free throws with 22.7 seconds left to give Houston a 93-90 lead. Linas Kleiza got the rebound and Denver called a timeout. But Chauncey Billups, who led the Nuggets with 28 points, missed a layup, and Kyle Lowry sank two free throws with 9.9 seconds left.
After Billups' bucket made it 95-92, Brooks sank two free throws, rendering moot J.R. Smith's 34-footer at the buzzer and securing Houston's 11th win in 13 games since Tracy McGrady's season-ending knee injury.
The Nuggets, who were the No. 2 seed in the West at the All-Star break, have slipped all the way to seventh in the conference with eight losses in 11 games.
The Nuggets had fallen out of first place in the Northwest Division with a disheartening defeat at Sacramento 24 hours earlier, and they had counted on a return to Denver and the return of Martin to get them back on track.
With a chance to tie idle Utah, which has won 11 straight, atop the division, the Nuggets jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first half only to fritter away their lead by halftime, when they trailed 45-40.
They fell behind by 19 in the third quarter before mounting a comeback that fell just short.
Before tipoff, Nuggets coach George Karl said he still thought the schedule down the stretch favored Denver, which he thinks can recover and get home-court advantage in the first round.
"It's not raining, it's just cloudy," Karl said.
And maybe those raindrops started to fall Monday night.
Denver trailed 53-49 after a 3-pointer by Billups midway through the third quarter, but the Rockets responded with a 15-0 run capped by Artest's 3-pointer that gave Houston a 68-49 lead.
Artest also had a breakaway dunk during the run when he stepped in front of Billups' pass intended for Carmelo Anthony and sped downcourt. Billups grabbed Artest with both hands at midcourt and didn't chase him, then looked at the referee incredulously, wondering why he hadn't blown the whistle.
The Nuggets went into the fourth quarter down 74-62.
Martin was out for three games with a bad back, and the Nuggets were exposed defensively without him and were also a mess on offense, sapping Denver of its solid high-low game with center Nene.
But he was a non-factor against Houston, finishing with six points and seven boards in 24 minutes.
The Rockets, the league's third-best free-throw shooting team, were just 20-of-35 from the free-throw line, but made them when they had to, sinking five of six in the final 22 seconds.
Notes:@ Nuggets G Anthony Carter (hip) is expected to return to action this week. ... The Nuggets were averaging 105 points at the Pepsi Center. ... Smith also had a 30-footer at the first-quarter buzzer.
Brooks sank one of two free throws with 22.7 seconds left to give Houston a 93-90 lead. Linas Kleiza got the rebound and Denver called a timeout. But Chauncey Billups, who led the Nuggets with 28 points, missed a layup, and Kyle Lowry sank two free throws with 9.9 seconds left.
After Billups' bucket made it 95-92, Brooks sank two free throws, rendering moot J.R. Smith's 34-footer at the buzzer and securing Houston's 11th win in 13 games since Tracy McGrady's season-ending knee injury.
The Nuggets, who were the No. 2 seed in the West at the All-Star break, have slipped all the way to seventh in the conference with eight losses in 11 games.
The Nuggets had fallen out of first place in the Northwest Division with a disheartening defeat at Sacramento 24 hours earlier, and they had counted on a return to Denver and the return of Martin to get them back on track.
With a chance to tie idle Utah, which has won 11 straight, atop the division, the Nuggets jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first half only to fritter away their lead by halftime, when they trailed 45-40.
They fell behind by 19 in the third quarter before mounting a comeback that fell just short.
Before tipoff, Nuggets coach George Karl said he still thought the schedule down the stretch favored Denver, which he thinks can recover and get home-court advantage in the first round.
"It's not raining, it's just cloudy," Karl said.
And maybe those raindrops started to fall Monday night.
Denver trailed 53-49 after a 3-pointer by Billups midway through the third quarter, but the Rockets responded with a 15-0 run capped by Artest's 3-pointer that gave Houston a 68-49 lead.
Artest also had a breakaway dunk during the run when he stepped in front of Billups' pass intended for Carmelo Anthony and sped downcourt. Billups grabbed Artest with both hands at midcourt and didn't chase him, then looked at the referee incredulously, wondering why he hadn't blown the whistle.
The Nuggets went into the fourth quarter down 74-62.
Martin was out for three games with a bad back, and the Nuggets were exposed defensively without him and were also a mess on offense, sapping Denver of its solid high-low game with center Nene.
But he was a non-factor against Houston, finishing with six points and seven boards in 24 minutes.
The Rockets, the league's third-best free-throw shooting team, were just 20-of-35 from the free-throw line, but made them when they had to, sinking five of six in the final 22 seconds.
Notes:@ Nuggets G Anthony Carter (hip) is expected to return to action this week. ... The Nuggets were averaging 105 points at the Pepsi Center. ... Smith also had a 30-footer at the first-quarter buzzer.
Jaguars' Matt Jones jailed on contempt charge
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones was jailed Monday after violating terms of his plea deal in a drug possession case by testing positive for alcohol.
The former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback was booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Monday night on a contempt of court charge after a random drug test in February showed he violated a rule against using drugs or alcohol.
Jones was charged with one count of cocaine possession in July, when a Fayetteville police officer saw him inside a parked car allegedly cutting up cocaine. He was later suspended for the last three games of the 2008 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
In October, Jones reached a plea deal on the charge and was accepted into a program requiring him to participate in NFL-sponsored substance-abuse counseling and random drug testing through the end of the football season, then return to Fayetteville to complete the program.
Jones' agent, Dave Butz, said the drug court's judge pointed out that Jones has been very respectful and compliant during his time in the program.
"The only issue was Matt admitting to the court that he drank a couple of beers while playing golf last week with his friends," Butz said.
Lisa Dennis, a deputy prosecuting attorney for the drug court, told The Florida Times-Union newspaper in Jacksonville that Jones had complied with the program and was frank with the judge about the alcohol violation.
"But the judge wanted to emphasize that even having a beer is against the rules," Dennis told the newspaper. "It's not a terrible infraction, but he broke a rule."
A first-round draft pick in 2005, Jones was having the best year of his career before he was suspended, with 65 catches for 761 yards and two touchdowns.
The former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback was booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Monday night on a contempt of court charge after a random drug test in February showed he violated a rule against using drugs or alcohol.
Jones was charged with one count of cocaine possession in July, when a Fayetteville police officer saw him inside a parked car allegedly cutting up cocaine. He was later suspended for the last three games of the 2008 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
In October, Jones reached a plea deal on the charge and was accepted into a program requiring him to participate in NFL-sponsored substance-abuse counseling and random drug testing through the end of the football season, then return to Fayetteville to complete the program.
Jones' agent, Dave Butz, said the drug court's judge pointed out that Jones has been very respectful and compliant during his time in the program.
"The only issue was Matt admitting to the court that he drank a couple of beers while playing golf last week with his friends," Butz said.
Lisa Dennis, a deputy prosecuting attorney for the drug court, told The Florida Times-Union newspaper in Jacksonville that Jones had complied with the program and was frank with the judge about the alcohol violation.
"But the judge wanted to emphasize that even having a beer is against the rules," Dennis told the newspaper. "It's not a terrible infraction, but he broke a rule."
A first-round draft pick in 2005, Jones was having the best year of his career before he was suspended, with 65 catches for 761 yards and two touchdowns.
Stolen AFC ring returned to owner nine years later
Brenden Stai was in the middle of a move to Jacksonville in 2000 when he last remembers seeing the AFC championship ring he once donned.
It was on his rolodex in his home office, but the hardware had to be packed up and shipped from Kansas to Jacksonville because Stai was being traded again.
The ring was stolen and Stai never saw it again.
Until this week.
Nine years after losing track of the ring, which he earned when he was a rookie with the Steelers in 1995, the expensive jewelry turned up at Cash4Gold, a Florida-based company that buys gold from consumers.
The 10-carat ring, valued at $3,000, was flagged by a data entry and testing employee at a Pompano Beach facility and taken to the in-house estate buyer before being handed over to law enforcement in Fort Lauderdale.
Stai received a call soon after.
"I thought I would never see it again," Stai said.
"The last time I remember seeing the ring was in my office. It was such a whirlwind of events. I woke up in the middle of the night (in Jacksonville) and was like, 'Where is my ring?' The tough thing about it was I couldn't really get a grasp on where I had left it or if it was stolen by the movers in Kansas City."
Stai, who lives in Nebraska, ordered a replica of the ring with permission from Steelers ownership, the Rooney family.
"I was very upset, but what can you do," Stai said.
The Rooneys originally purchased the AFC rings in '95 for the team. Stai wanted it in his memorabilia.
"It was more or less a second-place ring, but it was from the Rooneys themselves," said Stai, an All-American at Nebraska who also won a national championship in 1994.
Even though the original ring was gone, Stai heard stories of its travels.
While playing with the Lions in 2001, the team security guard told Stai that someone in Jacksonville had been using his ring to pose as him in an attempt to pick up women and extort money from older people.
"A fan of mine called the Jacksonville front office and told them that somebody was using my ring to come off as me. The guy ended up getting prosecuted, but my ring never showed up," Stai said.
It turned up in Florida, but the onyx on the top had been popped out and diamonds on the side had also been removed. The package came in from an address in Northern Florida and Cash4Gold turned the person's information over to law enforcement.
"The ring was massively large in terms of thickness, gold and size," Cash4Gold founder and CEO Jeff Aronson said.
"We've never had anything of that magnitude come in. This was shocking for me. I've been in the industry for 15 years and have never seen a championship ring. I tried it on and found out we were the same size."
It was on his rolodex in his home office, but the hardware had to be packed up and shipped from Kansas to Jacksonville because Stai was being traded again.
The ring was stolen and Stai never saw it again.
Until this week.
Nine years after losing track of the ring, which he earned when he was a rookie with the Steelers in 1995, the expensive jewelry turned up at Cash4Gold, a Florida-based company that buys gold from consumers.
The 10-carat ring, valued at $3,000, was flagged by a data entry and testing employee at a Pompano Beach facility and taken to the in-house estate buyer before being handed over to law enforcement in Fort Lauderdale.
Stai received a call soon after.
"I thought I would never see it again," Stai said.
"The last time I remember seeing the ring was in my office. It was such a whirlwind of events. I woke up in the middle of the night (in Jacksonville) and was like, 'Where is my ring?' The tough thing about it was I couldn't really get a grasp on where I had left it or if it was stolen by the movers in Kansas City."
Stai, who lives in Nebraska, ordered a replica of the ring with permission from Steelers ownership, the Rooney family.
"I was very upset, but what can you do," Stai said.
The Rooneys originally purchased the AFC rings in '95 for the team. Stai wanted it in his memorabilia.
"It was more or less a second-place ring, but it was from the Rooneys themselves," said Stai, an All-American at Nebraska who also won a national championship in 1994.
Even though the original ring was gone, Stai heard stories of its travels.
While playing with the Lions in 2001, the team security guard told Stai that someone in Jacksonville had been using his ring to pose as him in an attempt to pick up women and extort money from older people.
"A fan of mine called the Jacksonville front office and told them that somebody was using my ring to come off as me. The guy ended up getting prosecuted, but my ring never showed up," Stai said.
It turned up in Florida, but the onyx on the top had been popped out and diamonds on the side had also been removed. The package came in from an address in Northern Florida and Cash4Gold turned the person's information over to law enforcement.
"The ring was massively large in terms of thickness, gold and size," Cash4Gold founder and CEO Jeff Aronson said.
"We've never had anything of that magnitude come in. This was shocking for me. I've been in the industry for 15 years and have never seen a championship ring. I tried it on and found out we were the same size."
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