Live Football

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/75275?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+England+to+start+new+season+with+Holland+friendly+in+Amsterdamch=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=England+football+team%2CWorld+Cup+2010+%28Football%29%2CAC+Milan+%28Football+club%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Football+World+Cup%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CChampions+Leaguec6=Tom+Daviesc7=2008_12_06c8=1129903c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Englandc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FEngland” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpEngland will open next season with a friendly against Holland in Amsterdam on August 12 next year. Fabio Capello hopes the fixture will serve as a useful warm-up for the conclusion of their World Cup qualifying campaign in the following two months, which includes matches against Croatia and the Ukraine./ppThe England manager regards Holland, who reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, as ideal friendly opponents. England last played in Amsterdam two years ago, when Wayne Rooney scored in a 1-1 draw./ppAs part of the deal, Holland will come to Wembley in August 2011, with Under-21 fixtures being played before each senior international. Next year’s game will be broadcast live on ITV, with Setanta screening the return./ppThe announcement means the 2009 fixture calendar is almost complete, with friendlies lined up against Slovakia and Slovenia in March and September respectively. Aside from the November dates, which would be required for any World Cup play-offs, the only one still to be filled is February 12, when England are expected to play Spain. Although the fixture has been agreed, the FA are still waiting to hear where Spain would prefer to play./ppstrongMilan/strong’s playmaker Kaka has defended the club’s decision to sign David Beckham on a short-term loan deal in the winter transfer window. The England midfielder will join the Serie A club in January for two months before returning to LA Galaxy./pp”Many people believe Beckham’s arrival will be a negative thing,” said Kaka. “But we players believe that he can really give a lot to this team and contribute to us winning the Scudetto and the Uefa Cup.”/ppMeanwhile, Kaka admits he and his team-mates are still adapting to playing alongside Ronaldinho. Kaka’s fellow Brazil international arrived at San Siro in the summer from Barcelona and has earned a regular place in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI. “Before we were used to playing automatically,” said Kaka. “Since Ronaldinho’s arrival, we still have to adapt. We still have to find a better understanding.” The Rossoneri lie third in Serie A and face Catania at San Siro tomorrow./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/worldcup2010″World Cup 2010/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/acmilan”Milan/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Tom Davies

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/64098?ns=guardianpageName=Sport%3A+Scotland+2016%3F+Get+realch=Sportc3=guardian.co.ukc4=Scotland+football+team%2CScottish+Premier+League%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Football+World+Cup%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CScottish+Footballc6=Ewan+Murrayc7=2008_12_05c8=1129643c9=articlec10=GUc11=Sportc12=blogc13=c14=Sportblogh2=GU%2FSport%2Fblog%2FSportblog” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpNo Scottish team has recorded victory in a single European fixture this season. The domestic game north of the border? Generally perceived to be at its lowest ebb in living memory. Youth players are below the standard required, coaching open to question. The solution? Let’s bid for a major finals, or not as the case may be. For once, and whisper it, the Scottish FA is not the guilty party./ppIn a quiet news week, a href=”http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h57dYIYLOv-_rlrKKTk1pfdcvr0Q” title=”"Uefa general-secretary David Taylor’s assertion/a that Scotland may, and possibly could, host Euro 2016 has caused ructions. If you factor in the Welsh, that is. And given Poland and Ukraine’s troubles, joint hosting is very much in vogue./ppGlasgow’s successful pitch for the 2014 Commonwealth Games seems to have prompted an idea among some that Scotland is also fit to host a major football tournament. Politicians, typically, jump on this bandwagon to be seen supporting all things Scottish. Uefa is likely to have other ideas if, and it is a big if, the Scots and Welsh decide to lodge a formal and hastily arranged bid in the new year./ppFirst, the positives. Scottish football badly needs some kind of lift — though that may not be the case in eight years time — and the sight of Europe’s top players strutting their stuff on these shores would surely be a source of inspiration for youngsters. Financially, there is obviously a benefit, even if the outlay for clubs in advance seems a bridge too far./ppAs it stands only Ibrox, Celtic Park and Hampden have a capacity of more than 30,000, the typical criteria for stadia in the home of a major finals. Murrayfield, the home of Scottish rugby, could be factored in at a push. That three of those grounds are in the same city, Glasgow, is hardly likely to curry favour with Uefa./ppTynecastle and Easter Road would be the obvious two grounds to redevelop. Aberdeen may have a new home, but why they would need one that holds 30,000 is anyone’s guess. Kilmarnock? It already resembles a ghost ground with crowds regularly under 5,000 in a stadium that holds 18,000. Short-term benefit for these clubs in the form of the Euros would lead to embarrassing fortnightly sights thereafter./ppWales has similar problems, the Millennium Stadium aside. Cardiff City’s new stadium at Leckwith will hold 26,000. The Liberty Stadium in Swansea has little more than 20,000 seats and there is no evidence of funding or desire to increase that number./ppQuite simply, the numbers do not add up. Especially when the size of the tournament increases to 24 teams; 10 grounds are likely to be needed as a basic requirement. The Scots and the Welsh would toil to produce eight. As for infrastructure, Glasgow’s city centre can and does grind to a halt on account of even a minor bump on the M8 motorway. Anyone who has travelled to watch football in Switzerland, a country of similar size, would notice a strategic world of difference./ppThe SFA has privately urged caution on this matter and rightly so. Now is the time to invest heavily in players and coaching, from the age of five upwards. Pipe dreams and European Championships can, frankly, wait for a while yet./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/scotland”Scotland/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/scottishpremierleague”Scottish Premier League/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Ewan Murray

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/49188?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Toshack+lines+up+extension+to+help+Wales+qualify+for+Euro+2012ch=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=Wales+football+team%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Football+World+Cup%2CNot+commercially+usefulc6=Stuart+James%2CEwan+Murrayc7=2008_12_05c8=1129257c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Walesc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FWales” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpJohn Toshack is expected to sign a two-year extension to his contract next month that would make him the longest-serving Wales manager in history. The 59-year-old, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2010, will hold discussions with Football Association of Wales officials in January, although sources claim it is regarded as a formality that he will commit himself to overseeing the 2012 European Championship qualification campaign./ppThe former Real Madrid manager, in his second spell in charge of Wales, has impressed FAW officials with the rebuilding programme he has undertaken since replacing Mark Hughes in 2005. Toshack was not without his detractors but recent results, and the manner in which he has nurtured a promising group of young players, have convinced senior figures that he should be given the chance to continue./ppWith the double-header against Finland and Germany coming up, the FAW is keen to resolve Toshack’s position as soon as possible. “The only person who could say no to this is John himself,” said Terry Harris, chairman of the international committee. “We will meet him in January and see what he has to say but we’re hopeful a new deal will be done. I’m 100% supportive of the work John has done and I hope he will agree to see it through.”/ppAlthough Toshack is expected to be offered improved terms, sources claim that salary will not be an issue for the Welshman, who has earned significant sums during a nomadic career. A far greater motivation is the chance to lead his country to a major finals for the first time since 1958. It appears highly unlikely that they will qualify for the 2010 World Cup but he believes 2012 is a realistic target./ppstrongHearts/strong players face uncertainty over whether they will receive their weekly wage today because of serious cash flow problems at the club’s parent company. Wages did not arrive last Friday, a matter which was resolved for all but six of the squad on Monday. Those six, among whom are the highest earners at Tynecastle, agreed after talks with the club’s sport director, Anatoly Korobochka, to have their salaries deferred until cash issues at the Lithuania-based Ukio Bankas Investment Group are rectified./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/wales”Wales/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Stuart James, Ewan Murray

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/65384?ns=guardianpageName=Sport%3A+MacLeod+may+sue+UK+Sport+over+drugs+debaclech=Sportc3=The+Guardianc4=Sport%2CRugby+union%2CScotland+rugby+union+team%2CHorse+racing%2CEngland+football+team%2CWorld+Cup+2018+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2COlympic+games+2012+%28News%29%2CUK+news%2CBBC%2CITV%2CChannel+4%2CMediac5=Football+World+Cup%2CRugby+Union%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CMedia+Weekly%2CHorse+Racing%2CTelevision+Media%2COlympic+Gamesc6=Matt+Scottc7=2008_12_03c8=1127847c9=articlec10=GUc11=Sportc12=Rugby+unionc13=c14=h2=GU%2FSport%2FRugby+union” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpWhile UK Sport considers how to apportion its funding for the Olympics in 2012, there could be a new threat to its budget. Advisers for Scott MacLeod, the Scotland rugby union lock, are considering whether to push for legal action against UK Sport if its liability can be established in a drugs-testing fiasco./ppMacLeod was unavailable for the autumn Tests and suspended from playing for his club after tests found he had high levels of testosterone in his system. The results were made public, and MacLeod was out of the game for several weeks. He was, however, entirely innocent of the charges./ppThe test results had been warped by high levels of alcohol in his bloodstream after a night out celebrating his wife’s pregnancy. Despite precedents suggesting that alcohol could have an effect on the outcome of tests, it was not until the second “B” sample was analysed that UK Sport investigated the possible alcohol link. It says it was following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s procedures. But MacLeod’s advisers are seeking counsel as to whether UK Sport can be pursued for damages after his loss of earnings and reputation. UK Sport has insurance against litigation, but without details of any claim is unable to gauge if it would be covered against action from MacLeod./ppSmall wonder, with a new anti-doping code being introduced by Wada next year, that the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne expects more than this year’s record of nearly 300 cases./ph2Jockeying for position/h2pWith both the BBC and ITV seeking heads of sport in the new year it will be musical chairs in the television sports industry at exactly the time the squeeze begins to be applied to sports-rights budgets. The word is that Channel 4 is set to end its coverage of racing after the current contract ends in 2010, effectively closing down its sports department. That has made its head, Andrew Thompson, a prime candidate to take over at the BBC. Setanta’s director of sport, Trevor East, and Geoff Hill, a former ITN News at Ten editor who set up the Setanta Sports News channel, are both in the frame for the ITV role. /ph2Irate of the Caribbean/h2pSimon Johnson, the acting chief operating officer of England’s bid company for the 2018 football World Cup, appears certain to get the job full-time. Johnson was a central figure in the chaos in the Caribbean earlier this year that overshadowed preparations for the 2018 bid. The Jamaica Football Federation understood that Johnson had pledged pound;135,000 of Football Association funds towards a youth-training facility, something the FA later furiously denied. The ensuing transatlantic row required all the diplomacy of the FA chairman, David Triesman, to smooth over yet Johnson has since become a trusted lieutenant in the bid team. Although he has yet to be confirmed in the operating-officer role, Johnson has been part of the four-person panel interviewing candidates for jobs this week./ppstrongWho is the Stig?/strong/ppIn a shameless attempt to boost sales among petrol-heads, the front page of yesterday’s Daily Telegraph used the banner “Boris Johnson: My Top Gear Revelation” with a picture of the London mayor shaking hands with Top Gear’s Stig. Inevitably, Johnson declined to out the Stig, describing him merely as “a mysterious white-uniformed driver whose visor is never lifted”. So, like the Tel, this column will also exploit the Stig’s mystique in a cynical attempt to gain readers. It is widely known that Top Gear parted company with Perry McCarthy, a former minor formula one driver, after he exposed himself, although not in the John Barrowman sense. Ben Collins, a former NASCAR driver, was later revealed by the Health and Safety Executive as Top Gear’s “high-performance driver” in a report into the Richard Hammond crash of 2006. Now Digger has been reliably informed by F1 sources that Heikki Kovalainen, left, took up the role during a Top Gear testing at Renault’s base. Cynical, yes, but it had you reading My Top Gear Revelation./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion”Rugby union/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/scotlandrugbyunionteam”Scotland rugby union team/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/horseracing”Horse racing/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/worldcup2018″World Cup 2018/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/olympics2012″Olympic games 2012/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/bbc”BBC/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/ITV”ITV/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/channel4″Channel 4/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Matt Scott

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/34074?ns=guardianpageName=Sport%3A+Why+the+Ballon+d%27Or+is+stupid+and+quite+possibly+evilch=Sportc3=guardian.co.ukc4=Ronaldo+%28Cristiano%29%2CEuropean+football%2CEgypt+%28Football+club%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Football+World+Cup%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Paul+Doylec7=2008_12_01c8=1126926c9=articlec10=GUc11=Sportc12=blogc13=c14=Sportblogh2=GU%2FSport%2Fblog%2FSportblog” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpThe great Brazilian forward Jairzinho once told me that he was in such great shape during the 1970 World Cup that Fifa afterwards presented him with a “best body on the planet” trophy to go along with his winner’s medal. I assumed this was rhetorical waggery so offered that obligatory journalistic reply: the sycophantic laugh. But he became quite cross and assured me he wasn’t joking. I asked whether he was certain it was an official Fifa prize, and not awarded by some TV company or a housewives’ magazine. He insisted it was indeed from the game’s global federation. I’ve since asked Fifa about this, as well as other players and journalists who were at the tournament, but it seems only Jairzinho has any memory of it./pp/ppI’m not sure whether I want to believe Jairzinho. On one hand I don’t, because then I can delight in the homely barminess of the fact that the only man in history to have scored in every match of the World Cup including the final feels the need to invent trivial boasts. It’s a bit like if Neil Armstrong took every opportunity to tell the world that in 1969 he beat Buzz Aldrin in a belching contest./pp/ppOn the other hand I hope Jairzinho’s story is true. If he really did have a body so much more beautiful than all the other athletic ones on display that even the crusty old Fifacrats felt moved to celebrate it, then that’s a lovely thing. Not having been around in those days, I can only regret that the videos I’ve seen of the tournament don’t really bring out this singular gorgeousness./pp/ppAll of which brings us on to the Ballon d’Or, the latest of which is due to be presented tomorrow. It’s garbage, isn’t it? Systematically singling out an individual in a team sport is stupid and possibly even evil. It’s almost always impossible to reach an obviously fair and correct verdict. How often have you been so angered by Andy Gray’s choice for man of the match that you’ve been driven to spewing Latin? Reductio Ad Absurdum./pp/ppVery occasionally comes a Jairzinho’s body moment. Michel Platini was so wonderful in Euro ‘84 that you almost got to thinking he could have won the tournament by himself. Diego Maradona was even more exceptional in 1986. In these circumstances it might have been justified to commemorate their performances with spontaneous awards. But awarding such a trophy every year cheapens it: Zinedine Zidane was nowhere near as influential in 1998 as Platini had been in ‘84 but both were singled out for the same prize. Nonsense. Most years are no years for a Ballon d’Or. In 2001, for example, a Barn Door might have been more appropriate for Michael Owen./pp/ppBy contrast, in 1986 France Football magazine should simply have torn up its Europeans-only rules and pleaded with Maradona to accept its Ballon (rather than give it to Igor Belanov)./pp/ppIt wasn’t until 1995 that they decided to open up the award to non-Europeans, and not until 2007 did they make it truly global, including players who don’t play their club football in Europe. Yet it still deserves only marginally more credibility than the Fifa World Player of the year award, which is voted for by every national team manager and captain in the world yet looks suspiciously like it has to go to the players who generate the most advertising revenue (David Beckham twice being runner-up!?)./pp/ppYet still the only player who comes close to matching the achievements of Platini and Maradona has not made France Football’s 30-man shortlist./pp/ppCristiano Ronaldo is the overwhelming favourite and yes, he had a tremendous 2007-08 season. In the Premier League he took full benefit of Sir Alex Ferguson’s innovative formation to become top scorer from an attacking midfield berth. He was also the top scorer in the Champions League. Though Manchester United’s triumph in both, particularly the latter, owed as much to the fortitude of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand as it did to Ronaldo, whose only contribution in the semi-final against Barcelona, for example, was to miss a penalty. He was also peripheral to Euro 2008./pp/ppExcelling in a major tournament doesn’t appear to be mandatory to scoop the gong: the 1992 winner wasn’t Danish and last year’s laureate, Kaka, didn’t even bother playing in the Copa America, which is why his victory was outrageous. Because while it may not be the decisive factor, the judges shouldn’t simply ignore major national tournaments. Therefore Iker Casillas’ superb performances for Spain last summer, allied to his heroics during Real Madrid’s title winning season in La Liga, mean that, if there has to be a winner this year, he has as strong a claim as Ronaldo./pp/ppBut for the strongest claim of all we should look to an inspirational player who is the creative fulcrum of both his club and his country, with whom he this season achieved everything he possibly could. He won his domestic championship and the African champions league with his club while taking the continental crown with his country, even scoring the winner in the final, his fourth goal of a tremendous tournament. Scandalously, the France Football editorial team who selected the 30 players for whom their worldwide panel of journalists are allowed to vote overlooked the Al Ahly and Egypt playmaker Mohamed Aboutrika./pp/ppFifa won’t compensate for this offensive anomaly. Their shortlist doesn’t include Aboutrika either. Nor anyone else from Egypt’s recent vintage. Hardly surprising given that Fifa doesn’t even rank Egypt, winners of the last two African Cups of Nations, as the best team in Africa. Not enough Europe-based players, perhaps./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/ronaldo”Cristiano Ronaldo/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/europeanfootball”European football/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/egypt”Egypt/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Paul Doyle

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/56220?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Board+games+distract+from+bidch=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=World+Cup+2018+%28Football%29%2CEngland+football+team%2CBarack+Obama+%28News%29%2CDrugs+in+Sport+%28Sport%29%2CPre-budget+report%2CAlistair+Darling%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Football+World+Cup%2CBusiness+Markets%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CUS+Electionsc6=Matt+Scottc7=2008_11_26c8=1124141c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=World+Cup+2018c13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FWorld+Cup+2018″ width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpAndy Anson’s first task as chief executive of England’s World Cup 2018 bid company will be to smooth infighting within the boardroom, according to the shadow sports minister, Hugh Robertson./ppThe Conservative MP has been a vocal critic of the politicisation of the bid company board. Four of its eight members - Gerry Sutcliffe, Valerie Amos, David Triesman and Richard Caborn - are Labour politicians. Now Robertson says he has received a call from one member urging him to “keep up the pressure” in an attempt to see the prime minister’s envoy, Caborn, removed from a boardroom in which he has no voting rights./pp”I have spoken to eight senior figures in football and they all agree it is the wrong way to go about it,” said Robertson, who insists that if a Conservative government takes over before Fifa votes on the venue for 2018 at the end of 2010 there will be no “political interference”./ppCaborn claimed Robertson was “playing party politics”. He said: “If anyone believes you win the bid without the full support of the government and prime minister they are being naive.”/ppIt is understood that one board member is deeply uncomfortable with the position of Lord Triesman as bid company chairman, given that he already serves as chairman of the Football Association. The individual believes the company should be entirely separate from the FA./ppWhatever the truth, any perception of political difficulties makes it a troublesome environment for Anson to enter. The former commercial director of Manchester United yesterday made his first public comments as chief executive of the bid company./ph2Second presidential bid/h2pTony Blair’s involvement in London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics swung the vote in the capital’s favour in Singapore three years ago. The former prime minister’s influence, however, may pale in comparison with Chicago 2016’s political cheerleader./ppBarack Obama the president-elect, is proving a willing promotional tool for the city he lives in. Having already attended two rallies to promote its bid to host the Games after London he appeared in a video broadcast to 40 International Olympic Committee members in Turkey on Saturday./ppBut despite the demands on his time Obama is still likely to be at the bid committee’s disposal. Valerie Jarrett, a friend and senior adviser who worked on his campaign, is a vice-chair of the 2016 bid. Another board member, Penny Pritzker, was Obama’s head of fund-raising. The pair can be expected to continue to call in favours until the deciding vote in Copenhagen next year./ph2Surprised dopes/h2pA senior Olympic official has told this column that athletes are universally doping. The official, in London for the IOC’s post-Beijing debrief, spoke of a plague of low-level abuse. According to the official “all” athletes are taking drugs below testing thresholds. “They are all doing it and when they get caught, they are surprised,” said the official. “They say, ‘I don’t understand it.’ They are genuinely surprised because they’ve been doping but they’ve got the recipe wrong.” Samples taken in Beijing are being retested in Lausanne with the official predicting some “interesting” results. /ph2Darling draws the line/h2pCommunity sports clubs were big losers in Monday’s pre-budget report. The Central Council of Physical Recreation has for two years been lobbying the government for clubs to enjoy the same benefits as organisations such as the National Trust and be allowed to reclaim tax on subscriptions as gift aid. The CCPR did not think the estimated first-year reduction in tax revenues of pound;1.5m significant enough for the chancellor to block it, but he did just that. “There’s a feeling among ministers that sports clubs will get on with it whatever the financial weather but that’s just not the case,” said the CCPR’s chair, Brigid Simmonds./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/worldcup2018″World Cup 2018/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/barackobama”Barack Obama/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/drugsinsport”Drugs in Sport/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/pre-budget-report”Pre-budget report 2008/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/alistairdarling”Alistair Darling/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Matt Scott

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/21576?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Anson+wants+Ferguson+onsidech=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=World+Cup+2018+%28Football%29%2CEngland+football+team%2CSir+Alex+Ferguson%2CFootballc5=Football+World+Cup%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Matt+Scottc7=2008_11_26c8=1124085c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=World+Cup+2018c13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FWorld+Cup+2018″ width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpOrganisers of a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England’s/a a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/worldcup2018″World Cup 2018/a bid hope to persuade a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/sir-alex-ferguson”Sir Alex Ferguson/a to suppress his instincts as a proud Scotsman and back their campaign to host the tournament./ppThe Manchester United manager’s public support would be a powerful tool for the Football Association, and the bid company is well placed to make such a proposal. United’s chief executive, David Gill, is the only representative of the Premier League on its board while Andy Anson, 44, a former commercial director at the club, becomes the chief executive in January. “We’d like him to wish us luck. I trust Sir Alex will support the bid,” Anson said yesterday at the bid’s Wembley headquarters. /ppWinning over Ferguson will be the least of his challenges, however, and the current European chief executive of the ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, recognises that there are bridges to be built with the Premier League. /pp”The politics are definitely a challenge,” Anson said. “I am aware of the political environment and we have to listen to what’s being said and find a way of addressing it. The involvement of Premier League clubs is absolutely critical. I have a very good personal relationship with Richard Scudamore [the Premier League's chief executive] and I will make sure he’s on board. I know him and Sir Dave Richards [the Premier League chairman] personally and I fully intend to work with them.”/ppWhether Richards will work with the bid is another matter, however. He has made clear his disapproval of Lord Triesman’s decision to co-opt on to the bid company’s board only one representative of the clubs whose stadiums it will rely on. /ppThe tactic has seemingly been employed to create a bid that will curry favour with Uefa, where Richards is reportedly a deeply unpopular character. “The positioning of the bid is absolutely vital,” Anson added. “Being confident is essential and not being arrogant is equally essential.”/pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/worldcup2018″World Cup 2018/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/sir-alex-ferguson”Sir Alex Ferguson/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Matt Scott

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/27479?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Ben%26iacute%3Btez+waiting+for+FA+apology+after+%27massive%27+Gerrard+mistakech=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=England+football+team%2CFabio+Capello%2CLiverpool+FC+%28Football%29%2CRafael+Ben%C3%ADtez%2CFootballc5=Football+World+Cup%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Andy+Hunterc7=2008_11_22c8=1122130c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Englandc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FEngland” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpa href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/liverpool”Liverpool’s/a resentment at a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England’s/a treatment of Steven Gerrard was confirmed yesterday when a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/rafael-benitez”Rafael Beniacute;tez/a insisted the Football Association should apologise for doubting the club’s word on the injured midfielder./ppGerrard misses Fulham’s visit to Anfield this afternoon with the muscle tear he sustained at Bolton last weekend and which developed into an international incident when he subsequently withdrew from the England squad to face Germany in Berlin. Despite undergoing a scan after the Bolton game, and Liverpool informing the FA on Saturday evening that Gerrard would be unavailable to a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/fabio-capello”Fabio Capello/a, the midfielder was summoned to England’s Hertfordshire base on Sunday for a scan that confirmed the diagnosis of the Liverpool club doctor, Mark Waller. Waller also happens to work for the FA in his role as the England Under-21 team’s doctor./ppGerrard missed a day’s treatment as a result of the eight-hour, 400-mile round trip, and while Beniacute;tez insists he has no personal issue with Capello there is disquiet at Liverpool over the FA’s instant demand to assess the midfielder and, by implication, to question Waller’s opinion. Not every England player who pulled out of the Germany squad was required to visit the FA’s medical staff but Gerrard, who underwent a groin operation when England faced Andorra and Croatia in September and made a substitute appearance against Manchester United in Liverpool’s next fixture, was called along with Chelsea’s Frank Lampard./pp”Stevie is not fit to play against Fulham,” said Beniacute;tez. “That means someone at the FA has made a massive mistake. It would be nice if someone rang to apologise, but I’m not expecting a call. He may have a chance to play in the Champions League [against Marseille] next week. He’s working hard with the physios and I have the feeling he’ll be OK for Wednesday.”/ppBeniacute;tez, who spoke to Capello about Gerrard on the Saturday evening, added: “There is no problem between me and Fabio Capello, I am not unhappy with him. But the best news for me now is that there are no internationals until March.”/ppEven better news for the Liverpool manager came from Gerrard himself. The 28-year-old celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week, and admits he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends stay at the club for the rest of his career./pp”I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool’s first team,” he said. “I have two and a half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career./pp”The last 10 years have been the best of my life. I have lived the dream doing something I have always wanted to do.”/ppLiverpool, meanwhile, are to withdraw their application to trademark the iconic image of the Liver bird following protests from Liverpool city council./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/england”England/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/fabio-capello”Fabio Capello/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/liverpool”Liverpool/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/rafael-benitez”Rafael Benítez/a/li/ul/divdiv class=”guRssAdvert”a href=”http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yessite=Footballcountry=nldspacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227315071240112201002056189″img src=”http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yessite=Footballcountry=nldspacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227315071240112201002056189″ border=”0″ //a/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a

Original post by Tags: Capello Fabio, Disquiet, England Football Team, England Player, England Squad, Fabio Capello, Football Association, Football England, Football Liverpool, Football World Cup, Germany Squad, International Incident, Liverpool Club, Liverpool Liverpool, Mark Waller, Midfielder, Personal Issue, Rafael Benitez, Steven Gerrard, Uk Football
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