Reuters Soccer Blog
World Soccer views and news
Is naturalising players for internationals a good idea?
Brazil-born Juventus striker Amauri failed to get an Italian passport in time for Italy’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria but he hopes the documentation will come through soon.Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi has indicated he will then consider Amauri for international duty but said he did not want the situation to be repeated.This seems to have ended any chance of Inter Milan midfielder Thiago Motta following Amauri’s lead. The former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid player could qualify for Italy if FIFA decided his two Brazil appearances in the CONCACAF Gold Cup did not count as full caps because it was a under-23 team.After Diego’s classy brace in his second game for Juventus, many Italians became excited when they realised the playmaker has Italian lineage. However, they forgot the basic rule that Diego had played competitively for Brazil and therefore was not eligible for Italy.Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva plays for Croatia despite being born in Brazil while the London club’s uncapped Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has often been talked about as a potential England candidate.Is the situation out of hand? I’m just old enough to remember when domestic clubs had a majority of players from the local town. Now few top sides have players from the same country.Is international football going the same way? Why not have Premier League v Serie A rather than England v Italy?Liverpool’s Alberto Aquilani and Andrea Dossena may feel a bit torn.PHOTO: Juventus forward Amauri warms up during a training session at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin March 9, 2009.REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Will Juventus get signings right this time?
Ever since returning to Serie A following their demotion for match-fixing, Juventus have had a terrible run in the transfer market.
Third and second-placed finishes in their two years back in the top flight are largely thanks to players who stuck with Juve during their season in Serie B such as Alessandro Del Piero and Giorgio Chiellini.
In contrast, new recruits such as midfielders Tiago and Christian Poulsen have been frustrating at best while former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg lasted just a season before being shipped off to Olympiakos.
Juve have also tried to sell Poulsen and Tiago but both players have said they would rather stay.
Right back Zdenek Grygera has not convinced all the Juve faithful while striker Amauri had a good start to last term following a big move from Palermo but his form fizzled out towards the end of the campaign.
For this season Juve have re-signed Fabio Cannavaro from Real Madrid, a move which has angered fans who have not forgiven him for leaving the club following their demotion. (Cannavaro argues it was Juve’s economic decision to sell).
Diego is a fantastic players with all the skills and creativity. The Juve coaching staff needs to be slaughtered should they fail to bring out the Brazilian’s overwhelming potential. I can’t imagine Diego will buckle under the pressure at Juve, it can only be the club that’ll destroy the player.About their purchases, I just can’t see a lot of big names heading to Serie A in general this summer. Stars and promising up and comers rather go to England or Spain these days.I think Juve should target promising players from lower ranked Serie A clubs and talents from B-leagues such as the Dutch and Belgian ones.
Shakhtar win is fitting end for UEFA Cup
The way the UEFA Cup has been going, it was fitting, perhaps even inevitable, that Shakhtar Donetsk triumphed over Werder Bremen to win the competition’s final final before its rebranding as the Europa League.
As Sonia Oxley pointed out, Easter European teams have been the ones taking it seriously of late, and as Justin Palmer noted, the Brazilian influence on the competition has been getting ever stronger. Werder were missing Diego and it showed, as they searched in vain for inspiration after falling behind for a second time. Shakhtar, of course, have far the greater Brazilian contingent.
We’ll have more on this later but for now, click here for our full report, here for reaction and here for a great slideshow of photos.
And as someone who was based in Germany for a long time, I must just spare a thought for Tim Wiese, who had another European night to forget.
PHOTO: Shakhtar Donetsk celebrate with the UEFA Cup trophy after defeating Werder Bremen in final soccer match at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
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No Diego but UEFA Cup final will have strong Brazilian influence
There will be a heavy Brazilian influence in Wednesday’s UEFA Cup final between Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen in Istanbul — despite the absence of Werder’s influential playmaker Diego through suspension.
Brazilian players have made a major impact in recent finals and with Ukraine’s Shakhtar boasting five in their ranks, and Naldo lining up for their German rivals, expect the boys from South America to take centre stage.
A quick look back at previous finals this decade shows the influence Brazilians have made.
In 2003, Porto became the first team to win the trophy on the now-defunct ‘silver goal’ rule thanks to Brazilian Derlei’s strike in extra time against Celtic.
Two years later Brazilian playmaker Daniel Carvalho played a starring role for CSKA Moscow, setting up all three of the Russian side’s goals, including one for compatriot Vagner Love, in the 3-1 victory over Sporting in the Lisbon final.
In 2006, Sevilla cantered to their first UEFA Cup triumph as a goal from Brazilian Luis Fabiano set the Spaniards on their way to a one-sided 4-0 demolition of Middlesbrough in Eindhoven.
Sevilla did it again the following year in Glasgow, Adriano scoring their opening goal before fellow Brazilian Jonatas got Espanyol’s equaliser in extra time in the 2-2 draw.
Bundesliga could lose top players for next term
What a Bundesliga season! Exciting, fast-paced and at least five teams in the running for the title and believe it or not, Bayern are not top of the table.
But next season may be very different. Many of the league’s top players who have carried their teams into title contention could leave at the end of the campaign.
Hertha Berlin strikers Andriy Voronin and Marko Pantelic have fired their team to the top but are on their way out.
Voronin, who has scored eight goals in the past six matches, is on loan from Liverpool and with Hertha’s budget shrinking for next season, the more goals he scores the more difficult it will be for them to keep him. Only a Champions League spot could help finance his stay.
Pantelic, with six goals, looks even more certain to leave after recovering from injury but then being left on the bench for the past two matches as strained ties with club and coach continue.
Surprise package Wolfsburg, four points behind, could see strikers Grafite and Edin Dzeko, who have scored a combined total of 30 league goals, packing their bags with several English clubs reportedly circling for the pair.
Messi takes a step closer to Beijing
Barcelona’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi took a step closer to Beijing on Wednesday when FIFA ruled that clubs are obliged to release players aged 23 or under to play at the Olympics.
Barcelona and Bundesliga clubs Werder Bremen and Schalke, who want to keep Diego and Rafinha out of the Games, will probably fight on in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but for now FIFA has made the right decision, one that’s for the good of the game as well as the Games.
Seeing Bremen and Schalke threaten legal action against their young Brazilian internationals earlier this month was a sad sight not only for the Olympics but for soccer.
Diego and Rafinha decided (quite nobly, if you ask me) to put their country and the Olympics temporarily ahead of their club careers and defied the orders of their employers — going AWOL in the process and putting themselves in line for large fines and other disciplinary problems on their return.
Barcelona and Schalke have Champions League qualifiers coming up, so it’s easy to see why they in particular want their players back home, but the long-term consequences could be more damaging than the short-term loss.
How can anyone expect a brilliant player like Diego to get excited about playing in Bremen ever again if he is forced to miss the Olympics in order to take part in a pre-season Bundesliga training camp on the North Sea island of Norderney?
Could we expect Rafinha to have his heart in the Bundesliga’s first two matches when his compatriots were trying to win a first gold medal in China?
they don’t want to lose him but you’re right, athletes who are eligible to be in the Olympics should be able to go..
Diego the latest to be blocked from Games
Werder Bremen have dashed the Olympic hopes of Brazil playmaker Diego, telling the 23-year-old they will not release him and thus depriving the Games of perhaps one of the world’s most exciting young players
Werder sporting director Klaus Allofs said there was no legal reason for clubs to release their players because, he said, the Olympics are not part of world soccer’s governing body FIFA.
“So I’m not expecting any reaction from FIFA,” Allofs said.
Just last week FIFA said that even though clubs are not obliged to release overage players they must release any players younger than 23. Diego turned 23 on Feb. 28 and he was nominated for Brazil’s Olympic team on July 8 by coach Dunga.
Diego got his first cap for Brazil in April 2003 as a 19-year-old so how are Werder getting away with this? Why will Diego be spending August training with his club on Germany’s North Sea island of Nordeney instead of playing for Brazil in China?
Clement, the rule in question – http://www.sportinglife.com/football/ove rseas/germany/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_N AME=soccer/08/07/10/SOCCER_FIFA.html&TEA MHD=germany
FIFA have released a statement saying: “In view of the importance of the Olympic Tournament for the entire sporting movement in general and football in particular, as well as on the basis of customary law, the release of players younger than 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs. For Beijing 2008 the same principle shall apply.
Clubs are not obligated to release players over the age of 23 – of which three are allowed per nation under Olympics rules – for the tournament.
“This is not a new position and the regulations have not changed.”
“Regarding the three players who are over 23 and selected by their member associations, the release of these players is not compulsory according to the FIFA regulations.
“However, the FIFA executive committee, during its meeting of 14 March, made an appeal to the solidarity of the clubs in order to release these players.”
I had lifted the rule from the link actually. It was first published from like almost two weeks ago. Regarding Diego’s case, it seemed that he was off to the airport to join his fellow Brazilian team-mates following talks with his club today. But then Diego had been a vital member of his club and the club could still challenge the fact that they are not obliged to release him for the Olympics. That is the sticky situation. By the way, he is 23 this year.
Diego’s team-mate on the Brazilian Olympic squad Schalke’s 22-year old Rafinha chose to walk out of the club on his own yesterday and didn’t join in the club’s pre-season training in Austria. Schalke had said that they will take action against him and the thing is, they also have the backing of the German FA (or the DFB) and the DFL (German Football League). Schalke, the DFB and the DFL are challenging on the fact that since it is not part of the FIFA’s international footballing schedule, the clubs have the final say in whether their players are allowed for the Olympics.
Mike, I have to agree with you. Together with the fact that Brazil has never won an Olympic gold medal yet and Dunga’s future as the national coach of Brazil (he is both the coach of the senior national team and the Olympic squad as well) is uncertain as the country is already struggling to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, some had said that an Olympic gold in Beijing next month will be the only thing to still keep him on the job. It’s precisely because of no gold medal to show for when it comes to Olympic football at the moment, the Olympic football tournament is also viewed equally important as the World Cup in Brazil.
Dan, are you referring to AS Roma’s Simone Perrotta? I still remembered back in the build-up to the final in Berlin, one of the newspapers in my country mentioned something along the line that technically, there is an Englishman in the final. Anyhow, I remembered once reading somewhere that Perrotta was quite young when his family moved back to Italy.