Archive for May, 2008
Saturday, May 31st, 2008
As EURO 2008 is coming, Gelson Fernandes, the second most expensive Swiss player says he is ready to rock!
Although he is only 21 years old, Gelson Fernandes is already one of the most popular Swiss football players and the second most expensive one. He has all the necessary attributes that a holding midfielder has to have, as he has proved them already both for his club, and his country’s national football team. “That’s a healthy toughness,” Fernandes said, adding “He who does not work has already lost.”
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Friday, May 30th, 2008
Turkey 2-0 Finland (click here to watch the highlights)
Although a few days ago Turkey’s chances for EURO 2008 seemed to be decreasing because of some important players’ injuries, coach Fatih Terim’s team is now back in the game. Turkey didn’t give Finland the occasion to score, but Tuncay Sanli and Semih Senturk’s goals were decisive for the game.
Fatih Terim chose Servet Cetin and Mevlut Erdinc to be in the field for the match against Finland. Galatasaray AS’ defender Servet Cetin seems to be fit again for EURO 2008, although he suffered some injuries in the recent period.
In the 16th minute of the game, Tuncay Sanli scored the first goal. Finland’s team tried to do their best, but they never really threatened Turkey’s chances to win this friendly game.
So, when Semih Senturk scored the second goal for Turkey, there was no doubt that Finland lost the friendly.
Turkey won’t play any more friendlies before the first match of EURO 2008. This will be the match against Portugal and it will take place in Geneva on 7 June.
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Friday, May 30th, 2008
Russia might lose player Pavel Pogrebnyak, who has picked up a severe injury at his left knee during his team’s match against Serbia. A few hours after the game, Pogrebnyak was revealed to have gotten a problem with the meniscus in the injured knee. The diagnosis seems to be worse than one has ever expected. Russia’s victory against Serbia was thus saddened by Pogrebnyak’s injury.
After the match, the 24-year-old FC Zenit St. Petersburg player went to Munich alongside Russia’s team doctor, Andrei Grishanov, for precautionary tests. “He has a little irritation of the meniscus and a little rupture of the back part of it,” said Russia’s national football team’s coach Guus Hiddink. He also added that Pavel Pogrebnyak “won’t be training in the next few days but it is possible he will play at EURO. We will have a more precise ruling on him in the next few days. Even if the information about this injury is confirmed, I am not planning to call up another player instead of him.”
After opening the scoring in the 2-1 win against Serbia, Pogrebnyak signaled to the bench that he was in pain. Hiddink took him off immediately. “I didn’t understand [what had happened],” Pavel Pogrebnyak said. “There was no challenge but suddenly my left knee was in a lot of pain,” he added.
So, because of this injury that Pogrebnyak picked up just a few days before Russia’s first match for EURO 2008, the 24-year-old player might be forced to watch the games from the bench.
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Friday, May 30th, 2008
Surprisingly or not, the young football player Bafetimbi Gomis was chosen by France’s national football team’s coach to be part of his 23-man squad for EURO 2008.
Although some would have not even consider including AS Saint-Etienne striker in the final list for EURO 2008, it seems that coach Raymond Domenech was so impressed by Gomis’ recent performance that he had no choice but including the young player in his final list for EURO 2008.
Gomis was preferred to Djibril Cisse. The 22-year-old player impressed Domenech during the match against Ecuador on Tuesday, when he scored the game’s two goals in less than 45 minutes. “He has a real presence in front of goal,” said Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger about Gomis.
The young football player became the second French footballer who scored twice on his debut. The first one was the French football legend Zinedine Zidane.
“It’s good to have won the game and I’m pleased to have scored, but that’s not the most important thing,” said Gomis, whose raw power and speed have been compared to Didier Drogba’s attributes. “The fact I’ve settled in quickly and that the other players have given me a warm welcome is more important. That’s one reason why I was able to make a good debut,” Gomis also said.
Gomis might be used as a “surprise element” by coach Raymond Domenech at EURO 2008. While France’s rivals know little about the young football player, the French football fans have already started to call him “a phenomenon.” He has scored 16 goals during this season for Saint-Etienne and only his excellent condition helped the team to qualify for the UEFA Cup. “He is a phenomenon and he has a big career in front of him,” said Les Verts goalkeeper Jérémie Janot.
Nicknamed “the Panther”, Bafetimbi Gomis is already believed to be France’s “secret weapon” at EURO 2008.
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Friday, May 30th, 2008
Being named the Footballer of the Year for 2007, Marek Jankulovski becomes the second defender to receive this award after Jan Kocian, who collected it in 1990.
Marek Jankulovski is 31 years old and he received this highly motivating award as the Czech Republic’s national football team was preparing for EURO 2008. AC Milan’s player defeated Chelsea FC’s goalkeeper Petr Cech and Tomas Rosicky, Czech Republic’s Footballer of the Year for 2006, as he got more votes than these two fellow footballers.
Another “winner” was coach Karel Bruckner, who was honoured as the Czech Republic’s best coach yet again. Excepting last year, when fellow Vitezslav Lavicka took the prize, Bruckner was the only receiver of the award since 2001.
Martin Fenin, Eintracht Frankfurt’s 21-year-old forward, was also awarded as the Young Player of the Year for 2007.
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Friday, May 30th, 2008
When Germany’s national football team’s coach Joachim Low announced his final 23-man squad for EURO 2008, the country’s popular trio represented by midfielders Markus Marin and Jermaine Jones and striker Patrick Helmes did not appeared on Low’s final list.
No mistake! Just Joachim Low’s decision…
However, Germany’s coach did call this his decision a “difficult” one. “It was a very difficult decision for our staff,” said Joachim Low. “It was a millimeter decision, because every one of those three would have deserved a place in the final squad. This is no decision against their quality; they have all left behind a great impression in the training camp in Mallorca. Patrick Helmes, Jermaine Jones and Markus Marin have good chances to be back in the national team after EURO and play a good role in it,” Joachim Low also stated.
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Monday, May 26th, 2008
Petit announced recently that EURO 2008 would mark his last appearance as an international football player. Petit is 31 years old and he said that he wanted to retire from international football after EURO 2008 because of injuries.
SL Benfica’s player announced his decision at a media conference in Viseu, where Portugal’s national football team are currently preparing for the finals for EURO 2008. “We have players with a great future ahead of them in the Portugal midfield, so I think it’s time … this will probably be my last [UEFA] European Championship and my last matches for my country,” Petit said.
Petit played at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, at EURO 2004 and now he will play also at EURO 2008 before he retires from international football. He was capped for 53 times and has scored four goals for his country. However, he has been struggling for some time with knee and thigh injuries. This season, for example, has been the poorest of his nine-year top-flight career.
“I have had some complicated injuries but I will be back to my best at the EURO,” said Petit at the media conference in Viseu.
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Monday, May 26th, 2008
The Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich got a new pitch, so that it could ensure the optimum playing surface when it hosts three of EURO 2008 games.
The Letzigrund Stadium is both Grasshopper-Club and FC Zurich’s stadium, as the two clubs share it. The stadium’s old pitch had been used heavily during its existence and it was taken up after the end of the Swiss Super League season.
So, a new surface for EURO 2008’s games was decided to be laid.
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Monday, May 26th, 2008
Full squad list of Switzerland for Euro 2008
Players
Goalkeepers
Eldin Jakupovic
Diego Benaglio
Pascal Zuberbuhler
Defenders
Philipp Degen
Johan Djourou
Mario Eggimann
Stephane Grichting
Stephan Lichtsteiner
Ludovic Magnin
Patrick Muller
Philippe Senderos
Christoph Spycher
Steve Von Bergen
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Monday, May 26th, 2008
Full squad list of Portugal for Euro 2008
Players
Goalkeepers
Rui Patrício
Ricardo
Quim
Defenders
Bosingwa
Miguel
Jorge Ribeiro
Pepe
Fernando Meira
Paulo Ferreira
Bruno Alves
Ricardo Carvalho
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Monday, May 26th, 2008
Full squad list of Czech Republic for Euro 2008
Players (Clubs)
Goalkeepers
Jaromir Blazek (FC Nuremberg)
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht)
Defenders
Rudolf Skacel (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Zdenek Grygera (Juventus)
Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan)
Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague)
Zdenek Pospech (F.C. Copenhagen)
David Rozehnal (Lazio)
Tomas Ujfalusi (Atletico de Madrid)
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Monday, May 26th, 2008
Full squad list of Romania for Euro 2008
Goalkeepers
Danut Coman (Rapid) (injured)
Bogdan Lobont (Dinamo)
Marius Cornel Popa (Poli Timisoara)
Defenders
Cosmin Moti (Dinamo)
Cristian Sapunaru (Rapid)
Cristian Chivu (Internazionale)
Cosmin Contra (Getafe)
Sorin Ghionea (steaua)
Dorin Goian (Steaua)
Mirel Radoi (Steaua)
Stefan Radu (Lazio)
Razvan Rat (Shakthar)
Gabriel Tamas (AJ Auxerre)
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Saturday, May 24th, 2008
Torsten Frings had some real problems because of a recurring cruciate ligament injury, but now he is back and seems ready to rock! Especially that he has high hopes for EURO 2008.
Starting July 2007, when Frings damaged his right knee’s cruciate ligaments during a pre-season friendly, the popular German player suffered a lot because of this misfortunate health problem. He made two comebacks from the injury, but recurrences appeared after both of these comebacks.
“I feel as if I am being dogged by misfortune,” Torsten Frings said at that moment, adding also: “It just hasn’t been my year.”
Hopefully, Frings has never given it up and now he gets ready for EURO 2008, which he has been waiting for some time. “The coach always tells me I am in the squad if I am fit […], so I’ve always had an eye on the EURO,” Frings confessed.
And now, that Torsten Frings is in excellent shape, coach Joachim Low is ready to give him a chance to shine at EURO 2008. “Torsten can work his way into a championship and that is why he is so important to us,” Joachim Low said about the 31-year-old player.
Frings has scored ten goals in 70 international games and now he is hungry for victory at EURO 2008. He is confident that Germany is able to win the popular international tournament’s cup.
“In my opinion, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France and ourselves have the best chance of taking the title,” Torsten Frings said in a statement. “Winning in the final would be a dream come true. I’d do anything for that,” he also added.
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Saturday, May 24th, 2008
Austria’s football player nicknamed “Mad Dog”, Emanuel Pogatetz, is ready to be part of his country’s national football team! After a tiring season in the English Premier League, Pogatetz is likely to be part of his team’s four-man back line alongside Martin Stranzl, Gyorgy Garics and Sebastian Prodl.
“Mad Dog” had some problems in the past that could have taken his chance to play at EURO 2008, the international tournament that will be hosted this time by Austria and Switzerland. During Austria’s concluding 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier “Mad Dog” was dismissed and handed a two-match ban, which meant that the 25-year-old player had to watch his team’s games from the sidelines for a few times.
Anyway, Emanuel Pogatetz is now likely to play at EURO 2008. “The [UEFA] European Championship is really close and we are already thinking about our group opponents,” Emanuel “Mad Dog” Pogatetz stated.
Austria will face Croatia, Poland and Germany in Group B. “There was not much left in my batteries after my last match [in the Premier League against Manchester City FC], but now there is fresh motivation. I have hardly had a break but I should have enough to play at 100 per cent in our national team games,” Pogatetz also said.
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Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Arsenal FC’s player Robin van Persie has been training separately from Netherlands’ squad since joining the training camp on Tuesday. Netherlands’ national football team’s coach, Marco van Basten, decided to allow Robin van Persie to train apart from the rest of the squad in order to give him room to recover from older knee and thigh injuries, which have restricted him all season.
Marco van Basten wants each of his players to be fit for their opening EURO 2008 game against Italy on 9 June. But he can’t afford losing van Persie as a player at EURO 2008, so he decided to make an exception, giving Robin van Persie the necessary time to recover from injuries.
Van Basten will not rush Arsenal FC’s 24-year-old player, as he said that van Persie is “a very special player.”
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Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Switzerland’s national football team will have to play without Steve von Bergen at EURO 2008. The 24-year-old defender has broken a bone in his right hand and he won’t be able to play because of this problem.
Steve von Bergen has broken the fourth metacarpal in his hand during an open training session in Lugano. Although he and his team mates hoped he would be able to play at EURO 2008, Switzerland’s national football team doctors have confirmed recently that this won’t be happening.
Hertha BSC Berlin’s player is the third player that leaves Switzerland’s squad after goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti and striker Blaise Kufo, who left the training camp also because of serious health problems: Coltorti was suffering from post-viral fatigue and Kufo was discovered to suffer from a torn groin muscle.
Now it was Steve von Bergen’s time to leave the training camp.
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Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Another team’s player is forced to leave the training camp for EURO 2008 because of a broken metacarpal in his right hand. Similarly to Switzerland’s player Steve von Bergen, the Czech Republic’s player Daniel Pudil has been announced recently to have been withdrawn from his country’s national football squad after breaking a bone in his right hand. Steve von Bergen cracked his fourth metacarpal, while Daniel Pudil cracked his fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand. Unfortunately, both of them will have to say “goodbye” to EURO 2008 because of these unfortunate events.
Daniel Pudil was said to be replaced by Rudolf Skacel.
Pudil, 22 years old, has been capped for three times and scored once for the Czech Republic. He got the injury in his right hand in SK Slavia Praha’s final league game against FK Jablonec 97. Now, with Pudil missing because of this injury, the newly-crowned Czech champions SK Slavia Praha won’t have any player in the squad for the finals at EURO 2008.
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Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Thomas Haberli is 34 years old, but this hasn’t stopped Switzerland’s national football team’s coach Jakob Kuhn to call him up in order to replace Blaise Kufo, who will miss the tournament because of a torn thigh muscle.
Thus, a player’s misfortune becomes another’s reason to be happy; veteran forward Thomas Haberli wouldn’t have had the chance to star again in his country’s squad, if it hadn’t been for Kufo to get injured.
Although Thomas Haberli has been capped only once (in 2004), he is now able to make a surprise appearance at EURO 2008 thanks to coach Jakob Kuhn, who decided to give him a chance to shine before retiring from football.
Haberli, who has played this season for the BSC Young Boys has been in great shape and has scored 18 goals for his team. This means that he might impress some fans at EURO 2008!
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Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
After four years since he came at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, the Czech Republic defender Tomas Ujfalusi was announced to leave ACF Fiorentina and move to a Spanish club. The player is still thinking where exactly he will be playing after leaving ACF Fiorentino, but he is sure he will move to Spain.
Tomas Ujfalusi was announced to change his football club only one day after Fiorentina achieved the UEFA Champions League qualification.
“Yesterday Ujfalusi played his last match for the Viola,” ACF Fiorentina announced. “We wish to thank him for his precious contribution over the last four years. He is an extraordinary player and, more importantly, a great man,” the Italian football club’s spokesperson also said.
During this season, Tomas Ujfalusi played 28-flight games for Fiorentina, which eventually achieved the UEFA Champions League qualification after finishing fourth in Series A. The Czech football player came at ACF Fiorentina from Hamburger SV in the summer of 2004.
He will now leave the Italian football club for a Spanish Primera Division club. “I still have to decide which club, but I will certainly move to Spain,” said Ujfalusi, who is also know as “UFO.”
Ujfalusi will play also at EURO 2008, when his country will face Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey.
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Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
Laurentiu Rosu and George Ogararu will represent two of the most important Romanian football players that will miss at EURO 2008, as they absented from Romania’s 26-man provisional squad that has already begun preparations for the tournament.
Laurentiu Rosu won’t play at EURO 2008 because in the recent period of time he dropped out of first-team reckoning at his club, AFC Ajax, while George Ogararu won’t play because he failed to recover after his return from an injury. Thus, Rosu and Ogararu will be replaced by younger players, such as Cosmin Moti, Cristian Sapunaru, Ciprian Deac.
14 players of Romania’s national football squad play club football in Romania, so they have already started to gather as a team for EURO 2008. Florentin Petre and Paul Codrea have also joined them in an informal camp in Turkey, where the players came with their families for training and relaxation.
Coach Victor Piturca will start the preparations on 22 May, when the full 26-man squad will meet at the Mogosoaia training center. By 28 May the squad will be cut down to 23 players.
Romania will face France in Zurich on 9 June and then Italy on 13 June. Four days later they will play against Netherlands.
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
During the official meeting from Moscow on Monday and Tuesday, UEFA’s Executive Committee has decided to accept single yellow cards to be cancelled at the end of quarter-finals of EURO 2008.
Practically, this decision will put an end to the irritating situations when football players couldn’t play in the final of the tournament because of the fact that they had received a second yellow card in the semi-finals.
Thus, UEFA’s Executive Committee’s decision brings great news to football fans from all over the world, as they will now have the chance to watch the best football players’ performance in the final.
On the other hand the Executive Committee’s decision represents also a long-waited solution to a much discussed football issue. Even UEFA’s President Michel Platini admitted it. “I have supported [this] for a number of years and the Executive Committee gave its unanimous approval,” said President Michel Platini. “It’s a very good decision for lovers of football and TV spectators, who will be able to see the best players talking part in the final – as long as they are not sent off in the semi-final,” UEFA’s President also added.
So, with this problem solved, EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland has all the chances to be a really tough football event. During its official meeting in Moscow, UEFA’s Executive Committee has been informed that Austria and Switzerland are done with all preparations for EURO 2008 and they are ready for the event that will be taking place between 7 and 29 June.
UEFA’s General Secretary David Taylor said that “All the tickets have been sold, all the corporate hospitality has effectively been sold – worldwide revenues from TV broadcasts are 30-40 per cent ahead of where we were in Portugal [in 2004],” which means that Austria and Switzerland have really done their homework as hosts of one of the most popular football events of the world.
“So as regards the financial consequences, we have a EURO tournament which will not only be a great football success, but also a great financial success,” UEFA’s General Secretary David Taylor also said.
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Raymond Domenech, France’s national football team’s coach, made public the provisional list of 30 players for UEFA EURO 2008 during a press conference at the French Football Federation headquarters in Paris. Surprisingly or not, Juventus’ striker David Trezeguet was not chosen by coach Domenech to be part of this provisional 30-man squad.
Another surprise, this time a positive one, was the inclusion of AS Saint-Etienne’s striker Bafetimbi Gomis in France’s national football team. Gomis was selected for the first time in the national team, as he impressed coach Domenech after a promising season that included no less than 16 league goals.
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Vincenzo Iaquinta might miss UEFA EURO 2008, as his football club, Juventus, announced at the beginning of May that the football player is forced to miss the rest of the Series A season because of an injury sustained a month ago. Thus, it is likely for Iaquinta to miss also UEFA EURO 2008.
Vincenzo Iaquinta is 28 years old and he has scored eight goals in 24 league appearances this term. Unfortunately, he was injured in training midway in April and although he was expected to get over it for the Bianconeri’s final two matches, the football club confirmed he won’t play anymore during this campaign. On the other hand, he might still miss this summer’s famous UEFA EURO tournament.
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Sergei Semak, 32 years old, was surprisingly included by coach Guus Hiddink in his draft 25-man squad for the finals of UEFA EURO 2008.
Although Semak had a total of 43 appearances for Russia and has scored four times for his county in different international tournaments, he hasn’t played for the national team since May 2006.
But Semak seems to have been lucky enough to have an extraordinary performance with Russian Premier-Liga leader FC Rubin Kazan this season, which drew coach Guus Hiddink’s attention. Thus, Hiddinks chose to include Sergei Semak in his 25-man squad for UEFA EURO 2008.
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