Football News: Weekly Football News Roundup
1/9/08
Swedish international refuses Ronaldinho's marriage proposal
The Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho allegedly proposed to Sweden's
counterpart Johanna Almgren, who played for her country at the Beijing
Olympic tournament, but he was treated to a resounding "no".
According to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, quoting the
pretty Swede, they both resided in the same hotel during the Games
and they met in the lobby, when Ronaldinho was surrounded by numerous
female fans.
"He refused the request of all those Chinese girls who asked
him for an autograph, but when he saw me, he looked me in the eyes
and kissed my hand. I felt a bit weird," said Johanna.
Soon Ronaldinho continued his offensive, because the 24-year-old
blond received a strange phone call to her room.
"Somebody told me in poor English that Ronaldinho would like
to see me in his room. In the first moment I suspected it was a
prank of (my teammate) Therese Sjögran, but I went on to learn
it was Ronaldinho's interpreter, who conveyed me his marriage proposal.
I told him at once that there was no deal, that I had someone at
home waiting for me.
Still, Ronaldinho somehow obtained the girl's shirt. O Globo
says Johanna gave it to him probably as a consolation prize.
Radomir Antic takes over Serbia
The former Luton Town defender Radomir Antic has been named as
the new Serb national team coach after the dismissal of Miroslav
Djukic.
The ex-coach of Zaragoza, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and
Barcelona is famous for a League and Cup double with Atlético
in 1996, the last pieces of silverware won by the Madrid side.
"Antic is a great soccer name, who can take Serbia to the 2010
World Cup in South Africa," said an official in the Serbian
FA.
Antic's first goal was to snatch Serbo-hispanic forward Bojan Krkic
from Spain, playing on the card of friendship with his father. However,
Krkic junior stated that he was indentified with Spain and that
he could not possibly betray the country in which he was born in
August 1990.
Antic's predecessor Djukic was sacked from the national team only
four months after his nomination thanks to a series of negative
results both of Serbia's full team and the Olympic team, who crashed
out of the Olympic games without a win in the first round.
Fiorentina's players claim they never met a gay soccer player
There are no homosexual soccer players or at least we have not
met one, said a group of distinguished Fiorentina players in an
interview for GQ magazine.
"In these times when the fans insult players's wives or girlfriends,
imagine what would happen should someone come out as gay. They would
blast him. There would be banners, offensive slogans. All hell would
break loose," says goalkeeper Sebastien Frey.
"If there are such people (in soccer), then they hide their
orientation pretty well," adds the Frenchmen.
"I feel I have never encountered a gay player;" commented
Giampaolo Pazzini.
Marco Donadel expressed the same sentiment, while reminding readers
that in the United States many athletes admitted to their homosexuality
and were moderately well accepted by the public.
Only Alessandro Gamberini allowed for the possibility of someone
having "sneaked" in the dressing rooms.
"In my opinion, there could be some homosexuals after all."
The only notable soccer player ever to have publicly declared his
homosexuality was Justin Fashanu of Norwich and Notts County among
other teams. His coming out did him no good as he was mostly shunned
by soccer clubs after his 1990 confession. He committed suicide
in 1998.
Maradona: Seeing Messi play is better than sex
Diego Maradona's admiration for fellow countryman Lionel Messi
has no bounds. During the Olympics he praised the Barcelona star
on several occasions and when Argentina beat Brazil in semifinals
by 3-0, he remarked that "Messi's show was better than sex".
Argentina later won the gold against Nigeria thanks to a goal by
Di María, skillfully set up by Messi early in the second
half.
Maradona kept on enthusing about the 21-year-old youngster and his
marvellous skills.
"He is one of the last soccer rebels in the way in which he
takes on rival defences. He dribbles like he's playing indoor soccer.
Of all players, he resembles me the most. He still has time to become
the new Maradona and I pray to God that he may surpass me."
Maradona carries another young soccer star in his heart. It's Sergio
Agüero, with whom his daughter Giannina is pregnant. And Maradona
specifically wishes for a grandson.
"I'd like it to be a boy so that I can have him enrolled in
Boca Juniors," said the former soccer great. The press wrote
that in case Giannina gives birth to a boy, he will be called Diego,
but Maradona says he would never press his daughter about the name.
"It does not matter to me how they will name him. I'd never
press my daughter and she would never let me anyway."
Asprilla wishes to be white for a day
The former Colombian international Faustino Asprilla (38) said
to his country's press that he would like to change his race for
a spell to make sure the people are not judging him by the colour
of his skin.
"It would be good to change my skin colour at least temporarily,
so that I could see how people would treat me. Maybe then I would
be invisible and be able to do things as an average, normal person,
instead of being a target for all sorts of reproaches," said
the ex-Newcastle player to a Colombian radio station.
Asprilla has been involved in a couple of incidents, including several
regarding firearms.
"It is true I committed a lot of mistakes, but they attracted
more attention because of my race. If my colour were different,
they would judge me differently. I do not mind being black, but
I'd like to know whether my problems are caused by racial factors."
Zenit downs United and climbs on top of Europe
Zenit of Saint Petersburg continued the tradition started in mid-nineties,
according to which the Champions
League winner rarely wins the Supercup. In fact, since 1997/98,
only four out of twelve winners had previously won the Champions
League.
The European champions used to play against the Cup Winners' Cup
holders up until 1999, when this competition was merged with the
expanded UEFA Cup. In any case,
it was the winners of this second cup that prevailed in the Supercup
for five seasons in a row between 1997 (Barcelona) and 2001 (Liverpool).
Then Real Madrid and AC Milan stepped in to save the Champions League
winners, but over the past five years the initiative went back to
the UEFA Cup champs.
Against Zenit, Alex Ferguson appeared in his fourth Supercup finals
confirming another unwritten rule: on whichever side Sir Alex happens
to be, the European champions will NOT be the Supercup winner!
His clubs won twice and lost twice in the Supercup finals, but the
winners of the Champions League (or Cup, as it used to be called)
were always on the losing side. Ferguson's Aberdeen defeated Hamburger
SV in 1983, and Manchester
United edged Red Star Belgrade in 1991, both times as the Cup
Winners' Cup winners. However, as the European champs, United lost
to Lazio in 1999, and to Zenit this time around.
Incidentally, in the whole history of the Supercup, instituted in
1972, the score is completely even.
On seventeen occasions the trophy went to the Champions League/Cup
winners, and on another seventeen the winners of the other competition
came out triumphant.
Supercup winners - Original trophy
1972. Ajax - Champions Cup
1973. Ajax - Champions Cup
1974. -
1975. Dinamo Kiev - Cup Winners' Cup
1976. Anderlecht - Cup Winners' Cup
1977. Liverpool - Champions Cup
1978. Anderlecht - Cup Winners' Cup
1979. Nottingham - Champions Cup
1980. Valencia - Cup Winners' Cup
1981. -
1982. Aston Villa - Champions Cup
1983. Aberdeen - Cup Winners' Cup
1984. Juventus - Cup Winners' Cup
1985. -
1986. Steaua - Champions Cup
1987. Porto - Champions Cup
1988. KV Mechelen - Cup Winners' Cup
1989. Milan - Champions Cup
1990. Milan - Champions Cup
1991. Manchester Utd. - Cup Winners' Cup
1992. Barcelona - Champions Cup
1993. Parma - Cup Winners' Cup
1994. Milan - Champions Cup
1995. Ajax - Champions Cup
1996. Juventus - Champions Cup
1997. Barcelona - Cup Winners' Cup
1998. Chelsea - Cup Winners' Cup
1999. Lazio - Cup Winners' Cup
2000. Galatasaray - UEFA Cup
2001. Liverpool - UEFA Cup
2002. Real Madrid - Champions League
2003. Milan - Champions League
2004. Valencia - UEFA Cup
2005. Liverpool - Champions League
2006. Sevilla - UEFA Cup
2007. Milan - Champions League
2008. Zenit - UEFA Cup
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