Euro 2012 Qualifiers

[Luis Suarez]

Monday 5th December 2011

Capello unsure over Rooney's Euro place

Fabio Capello has revealed that he will not make a decision on whether to pick the Manchester United striker until after this week's Euro 2012 appeal.

Rooney is set to miss all of England's group games after being given a three-match suspension by UEFA following his red card in the final qualifier against Montenegro. The Football Association appealed against the length of the sentence and Rooney will discover in Nyon on Thursday whether his ban has been reduced.

Capello had previously indicated he would select Rooney regardless of the outcome of the appeal, but has now admitted he is waiting to hear that first. The England manager is hoping that he will be spared a tough decision, though, as he would like UEFA to show some leniency.

"I need to wait. I need to wait and see how the appeal goes this week," said Capello.

"I hope Rooney will be there. The sentence, three games, was too much for me and I hope the appeal will help us reduce the sentence.

"I hope he'll be available for the third game. I hope they understand our lawyer, what Rooney says and what I will say at the committee."

England have been drawn in Group D for Euro 2012 alongside France, Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine.
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[Mesut Özil]

Re: Loew backs Ballack to return to Germany colours


Tuesday 6th December 2011

FA hopeful over Rooney appeal

Adrian Bevington believes the Football Association has a robust case ahead of the appeal hearing over Wayne Rooney's three-match ban.

Rooney is set to miss all three of England's Euro 2012 group games after being given a three-match suspension by UEFA following his red card in the final qualifier against Montenegro.

The FA appealed against the length of the sentence and the Manchester United striker will learn his fate at a hearing in Nyon on Thursday. Bevington remains hopeful that the FA will be successful in their appeal, feeling they have a strong case to have the ban reduced.

"We are going out to Switzerland with Fabio [Capello], Wayne will also join us following his game with Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday night. "We will be in Nyon with our own legal support team on Thursday and we will present our case and see how we take it from there," Bevington told Sky Sports News.

"It would be wrong of me to try and second guess where the case goes and also to go into any real detail what our case actually includes at this stage. "The important element is to present it to UEFA and let them make their judgement from there.

"We feel we have put a very robust case together with some evidence from Wayne, Fabio Capello, from the Montenegrin player [Miodrag Dzudovic] and also from the specialist external legal advice and our own internal in-house lawyers that we work with as well."

Arsenal's Russia international Andrey Arshavin was banned for the first two group games of Euro 2008 after he was sent off in a qualifier against Andorra and the FA believes that precedent could boost their chances of having Rooney's suspension reduced.

"There are various precedents that can be referenced over time and that is something that UEFA may have to factor in, but again it would be wrong of me to actually say too much as I don't want to prejudice the case at this time," added Bevington.

Capello has raised question marks over Rooney's inclusion in his squad for Euro 2012 after revealing he will not make a decision on whether to pick the striker until after this week's appeal. The Italian had previously indicated that he would select Rooney regardless, but has now admitted he could leave out the Manchester United forward if his three-game suspension stands.

Bevington admits the final decision over Rooney's involvement will be made by Capello, but that he hopes to win their appeal at UEFA. "Well that's what Fabio said and ultimately Fabio will determine how he picks his squad," continued Bevington.

"It would be wrong for me to second guess what Fabio's thought process will be with regard his squad selection, I will leave that one to him. "But clearly there's no getting away from it, we go there on Wednesday into Thursday hoping that we get at least some form of reduction from the three matches."
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[Luis Suarez]

UEFA reduce Rooney ban

8 December 2011

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England star Wayne Rooney is free to play the final game of the Euro 2012 group stages after having his three-match ban reduced.

The Manchester United striker, 26, successfully had his ban reduced to two matches on Thursday, meaning he can play in England's Group D clash against Ukraine on June 19, 2012.

Rooney was red-carded in England's final qualifier for the tournament, after kicking out at defender Miodrag Dzudovic in the 2-2 draw against Montenegro on October 7.

The original ban would have seen the 73-time international miss all England's group matches, against France, Sweden and Ukraine.

The third game of the ban has been suspended for four years.

 

[Mesut Özil]

Re: Germany can win Euro or World Cup - Loew


Krul aims for Euro 2012 berth

15 December 2011

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Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul has set his sights on a place in The Netherlands' Euro 2012 squad.Krul has been impressive between the posts for the high-flying Magpies this season and admitted that he was 'loving life' on Tyneside.

Newcastle lie seventh on the Premier League table after an impressive start to the season but consecutive losses to Chelsea and Norwich have seen them slip back into the pack."To be in the squad for Euro 2012 would be the icing on the cake after what will hopefully be a successful season with Newcastle," Krul told the Daily Mirror.

"Every game is bringing new challenges for me and it's up to me to keep rising to those challenges.""I'm very pleased with my game at the moment and with the way things are going. To be honest, I couldn't have wished for better.""We are answering a lot of questions as a team this season and everyone is playing their part. I am loving life, and going to places like Old Trafford is special."

"I want to stay at this club for a long, long time and, hopefully, because I am still only 23, I can do that."Krul is one of the Premier League's youngest goalkeepers but the Dutchman thinks he might be part of a wider trend, with the likes of Manchester United's David de Gea also thrown into action at a young age."Maybe in the past, keepers have traditionally been a lot older, but there are some top young goalkeepers around now and that's very important," he said.

"The manager has always insisted that if you're good enough, then it doesn't matter how old you are. I've always firmly believed in that myself, and I'm just glad I've got my chance.""I can't rest on my laurels and I can't allow myself to relax, because I know Steve Harper and Rob Elliot are there to push me.""I can't rest easy because I need to be on top of my game week in, week out."

 

[|Hulk|]

Mertesacker eyes Euro showdown with RVP

15 December 2011

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Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker is eagerly anticipating a Euro 2012 showdown with team-mate Robin van Persie next year.European rivals Germany and the Netherlands clash in Group B on June 13 in Kharkiv and the centre-back admits that playing against the Dutch striker will be a tough prospect.

"He said he would be happy to see me next summer - that was the first thing he said after the draw," Mertesacker told the club's official website."This is not a friendly though, it's a tough game and therefore both of us want to go through the group stage.""It will be very tough to stop Robin. I think his best position is in the front, in the middle (as a striker). There he can use his unbelievable skills. He is so reliable in scoring goals it is incredible."

"It's a good group; obviously it's one of the best at the Euros. I'm looking forward to playing those big teams and players like Robin."Germany were runners-up to Spain at Euro 2008, but the former Werder Bremen man believes that Joachim Loew's side can go one better next year."I think the last year with the 100 percent qualification means we have had consistency in our game," Mertesacker said.

"That's the whole point of the new Germany and the way we play, especially in the last 10 qualification matches.""Some players in my age group have more than 80 games and that is good experience. But we also have players who are 19, 20, 21 - that's an age to be in good shape and that's what we need next summer."

"We have had many chances in the last three big tournaments. We went to two semi-finals and one final and that's good for us but if you get that far it's better to get the title. I think that's the main point for the next tournament."

 

[|Hulk|]

Cannavaro tips Spain for Euro 2012

16 December 2011

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Former Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro believes Spain remain favourites to defend their European crown in Poland and Ukraine next year.

The 38-year-old, who retired from football earlier this year, applauded the progress of the Germany national team, but noted that Spain's recent success will give them the upper hand at Euro 2012.

"The evolution of Germany is impressive and, just like many fans, I really like to watch this team," Cannavaro told German magazine Kicker."But for me Germany are not the biggest favourite, but Spain. They know how to win a tournament, and that is a very important advantage in decisive situations."

"Moreover, Spain still do not give the impression of being tired of winning titles."The European and world champions have been drawn with Italy, Ireland and Croatia in Group C of the Euro 2012 finals, which start on June 8.

 

[|Hulk|]

Loew: Ballack retirement was handled badly

19 December 2011

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Germany coach Joachim Loew admits the end of Michael Ballack’s international career could have been handled better.

Ballack was set to lead his country at last year's World Cup in South Africa when he suffered an injury in Chelsea's FA Cup final clash with Portsmouth which ruled him out of the tournament.

The midfielder was not recalled to the squad for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign and Loew announced in June that he would not be selecting Ballack again as he wished to focus on developing younger players.

The German Football Association (DFB) offered Ballack a farewell friendly against Brazil in June, but the player angrily declined, lashing out at Loew for treating him disrespectfully and labelling the tribute game "a farce".

And Loew now confesses that the whole affair was poorly managed."All of us who were involved in this thing should have found a better solution," Loew told Sky Bundesliga. "All of the parties involved.""Just as it was then, and how it is currently, it is not satisfactory."

Loew added he still believes that he could yet patch up the relationship with his form skipper, saying, "I hope we can resolve things someday."

Ballack's future in the game is currently the subject of much debate, with the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder reportedly considering moving abroad again at the end of the season.

 

[|Hulk|]

Tuesday 20th December 2011

Webb to referee at Euro 2012

World Cup final referee Howard Webb was today included on the 12-man list to officiate at Euro 2012 next summer.

Rotherham-born Webb, who was criticised for his handling of the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland in South Africa, will be joined by Scotland's Craig Thomson in Poland and Ukraine.

Hungarian Viktor Kassai, who refereed Barcelona's 2011 Champions League final victory over Manchester United, is also included alongside experienced German Wolfgang Stark.
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[|Hulk|]

Spain finish 2011 on top of the world

21 December 2011

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Reigning European and world champions Spain have finished the calendar year on top of the FIFA world rankings.

Second-placed Netherlands and Germany in third were unable to close the gap to Vicente del Bosque's men in the last month of 2011.

There was very little movement in the top 50 following the lack of international games in recent weeks, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only new faces inside the top 20 as they climb three places to 20th position.

This year's Copa America champions Uruguay will head into 2012 in fourth spot ahead of England, Brazil, Portugal, Croatia, Italy and Argentina, who round up the top 10.

The top-ranked teams from each of the confederations are Spain (first), Uruguay (fourth), Cote d'Ivoire (16th), Japan (19th), Mexico (21st) and New Zealand (119th).

Wales - under the leadership of the late Gary Speed - claimed the title of Best Mover of the Year as they finish 2011 in 48th position after collecting 300 points following impressive wins over Montenegro, Switzerland and Bulgaria in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Speed died last month at the age of 42.

 

[|Hulk|]

Football-related arrests at all-time low

23 December 2011

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The Home Office has reported that football-related disorder arrests in England and Wales have fallen by nine per cent last year.

The figures - a record low - cover domestic and international football and have been termed a major success for the British game, particularly given the poor reputation British supporters carried when records began in 1984/85.

Crime Prevention Minister Lord Henley said: "Football policing is a real British success story. Where hooliganism was once described as 'the English disease', we now set an example for others to follow.""But we are not complacent and we will expect to see England fans continue their good behaviour at next year's European Championships, where the eyes of the world will be on them once again."

Last year 3,089 people were arrested at football matches, a drop of 302 compared to the 2009/10 season and the lowest figure since records began.There were no arrests in 70 percent of all games while in international football, just one English fan was arrested at the World Cup, following a confrontation with the national team.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Holt, who leads football policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "Over the past two decades the UK has made steady progress in reducing football-related violence and disorder."

"The service has worked hard with football clubs and football supporters' associations to ensure that genuine fans can attend games without incident and it's reassuring that the figures reflect that a very small minority of fans have come to police notice."

Football banning orders were introduced a decade ago and the Home Office has reiterated their importance, stating they 'continue to have a positive effect'.Over 90 percent of supporters whose banning orders have expired are no longer deemed a risk by police of re-offending at football matches.

 

[|Hulk|]

Del Bosque not ruling out Raul return

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has refused to rule out a return for Schalke striker Raul to the national squad.

The 34-year-old has been capped 102 times for the reigning World and European champions, scoring 44 times.

But he has not been chosen for the national team since September 2006, following a 3-2 Euro 2008 qualifier defeat against Northern Ireland.

His impressive form for Schalke this season however, has raised talks of a possible return to the La Roja's Euro 2012 squad next year - especially with David Villa out for a lengthly period.

And Del Bosque has revealed the door is open for the former Real Madrid striker.

"I have a very good relationship with him," he is quoted by Marca as saying. "What he is doing is fantastic.

"No-one's cycle is closed."
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[|Hulk|]

Petit doubts French Euro chances

26 December 2011

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Former France international Emmanuel Petit feels the current national side have little chance of glory in Euro 2012.Petit was part of the French squad which triumphed at Euro 2000, as well as World Cup 1998, but believes the current crop of players have not reached their potential and will not be capable of victory next year in Poland and Ukraine.

"I'm not going to fall into the popular trap of patriotism. I think that, right now, Laurent Blanc's France team has neither the mental capacity or football ability to be considered among the favourites," the 41-year-old told Fifa.com.

"France have a number of top-quality players, but those players haven't managed to express the full range of their talent in the national team.""Still, it's all the better we're able to shake off the tag of group favourites, as we showed in friendly wins against England and Brazil that we're better in the role of outsiders."

Meanwhile, the former Arsenal and Barcelona man has praised the job his former international team-mate Laurent Blanc is doing in charge of Les Bleus."He's trying to do the best he can, and I think he's doing it well," Petit said.

"In terms of their play, I think we're right to expect much better, but he would be the first to say that.""After the events in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the awful image left by the France team, it was suicidal to take the reins of that side."

"Taking that into account, I think he's doing a more than competent job in charge of the France team."Blanc's men will open the tournament against England on June 11, with Ukraine and Sweden their other opponents in Group D.

 

[|Hulk|]

´I deserve a chance´ for Spain, says Enrique

28 December 2011

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Liverpool's Jose Enrique wants a chance to prove his worth in the Spanish national team ahead of Euro 2012.

The left-back has impressed at Anfield since joining from Newcastle United at the start of the season, but has so far failed to feature for his country at senior level.

The 25-year-old is eager to receive the recognition of Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, and believes playing for an established club such as Liverpool should aid his goal of gaining a Euro 2012 call-up.

"I think I deserve a chance," Enrique told Marca. "I think that just for the fact that I've managed to play for a team like Liverpool, they should be thinking of me."

Valencia full-back Jordi Alba is currently first choice for the position, and Enrique was quick to note that the 22-year-old "is doing a very good job" for the national side.

 

[|Hulk|]

Germany´s Lahm tips Spain for Euro success

28 December 2011

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Germany international defender Philipp Lahm has branded Spain as the favourites to win Euro 2012.

Speaking in an interview with France Football on Tuesday, after the publication declared Joachim Loew's men as the best team of 2011, the 28-year-old admitted that the Spaniards still possess the greatest chance to achieve glory next year ahead of their rivals.

"Our confidence has never been so great as now," said Lahm. "The results are excellent, our game is spectacular and effective and we have recently got the better of great teams like Brazil and the Netherlands.""(However) Spain are the favourites. Then there are four or five other teams that may struggle to dethrone (them)."

Lahm highlighted Germany's rapid development in footballing philosophy, combined with their efforts in producing gifted young talent, as the reasons why they can be considered worthy winners as the magazine's best team.

"We've learned to take possession of the ball as quick as possible. All our players want the ball and always want to attack. That's where again we have progressed," he said."It is our virtue always. The difference is that our game has become more modern."

"With that philosophy, we have the means to work together for many years, knowing that the coach can have a core composed of (Bastian) Schweinsteiger, (Sami) Khedira, (Mesut) Ozil, (Manuel) Neuer and myself. It is important to be able to support these important players for several years.""We now have a pool of talent like never before, who aspire to great things in the coming years."

 

[|Hulk|]

O´Neill named Northern Ireland manager

29 December 2011

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Michael O'Neill has been announced as the new manager of the Northern Ireland national side.

O'Neill takes over from former manager Nigel Worthington, who failed to guide Northern Ireland to Euro 2012, taking only nine points from 10 games in qualification.The former Newcastle player will begin his two-year contract in February, with his first game in charge to be against Norway later that month.

O'Neill told the Irish FA's official website: "I am honoured to be chosen to manage my country. I am a proud Northern Irishman who was fortunate enough to win 33 senior caps and it was always an ambition to manage my country.""To be entrusted with the role early in my managerial career is quite humbling but I am confident that we can make progress."

"Northern Ireland has a strong football tradition but one that needs to be refreshed with some more contemporary success.""That is my primary objective - to restore a sense of belief and pride in what it means to represent Northern Ireland so that our players will want only to play for their country. That is how it should be."

The 42-year-old's success with Irish club Shamrock Rovers, in which he guided them to the group stages of the Europa League, was a key factor behind the decision to hand O'Neill the post, Irish FA president Jim Shaw revealed.

"I am delighted that Michael has accepted the role of managing our senior international team and I would like to wish him every success as he prepares for the World Cup qualifying campaign next year," Shaw said.

 

[|Hulk|]

Capello: ´Stealing´ players must stop

30 December 2011

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England manager Fabio Capello has called on governing bodies to put a stop to the "stealing" of young players from other nations.

The Italian has questioned Germany's use of footballers with Turkish origin, especially at last year's World Cup in South Africa, suggesting that players should not be able to acquire new passports to pick and choose which country they can play for.

"A line needs to be drawn. Richer clubs are talent-scouting and stealing players by bidding higher and not thinking about the consequences for those countries," Capello told The National."These players are acquiring new passports. Germany had five of Turkish origin who opted to represent them and we all know what happened."

"Problems need to be addressed. Decisions need to be made. Players can be bought, especially when they come from poorer backgrounds, where their families need the financial resources.""I do not accept that, having trained as a player, a different team can pop by and steal the player from me."

"UEFA should pass new rules allowing people to reap the seed that's been sown instead of having talents leave when they receive a major offer.""I've spoken to Michel Platini and he's resolute. In future, clubs will be forbidden to steal players from abroad at a very young age."

Capello is worried about the development of younger players and is adamant that he made an ethically correct decision in picking Danny Welbeck for England, despite his links to Ghana.He continued:

"Ghanaian journalists have asked me why I selected Danny Welbeck to play for England because now he cannot represent Ghana.""But this isn't true. He was already at Manchester United. Before the selection I called his father and asked if I could select the boy.""The father took time before agreeing to the selection."

"It was a personal decision, I spoke to the family and they were fine with their son playing for England. He was born and brought up in England.""The rest of the German national team players were born in Germany or have never played for the national team of their origin.""But with those other five players Turkey could have performed much better."

 

[|Hulk|]

Del Bosque issues Torres warning

31 December 2011

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says out-of-form Chelsea striker Fernando Torres faces the prospect of missing out on a place at Euro 2012.

The former Atletico Madrid star has been below par since completing a transfer to Stamford Bridge from Premier League rivals Liverpool, starting many matches from the bench.

Torres was a key part of the Spain team that lifted the 2008 European Championships, but Del Bosque affirmed that if he did not see an improvement, it would be hard for the striker to feature in his plans for the upcoming tournament.

"It's a concern. He isn't playing much. There are five months to go to the European Championships, in which everything can turn around," Del Bosque told AS.

"But if the situation doesn't change it's going to be difficult for him. Fernando deserves respect for his career and he has our confidence. But if he doesn't play... well, time will tell."

"If he plays and he's fine he will go to the Euros. He has contributed to the success we've had and he has some leeway."

Torres has appeared 37 times for Chelsea since completing a move in January 2011, hitting the net on just five occasions.​

 

[|Hulk|]

Sagnol gives Germany top marks

3 January 2012

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France sporting director Willy Sagnol has tipped Germany for an extended spell of success in the coming years.

The former Bayern Munich defender feels that the three-time world champions no longer have the problem areas they once had, and are well prepared for the future.

"Germany will dominate European football over the next 10 years. I think they have no weakness anymore," Sagnol told Kicker."The DFB has a model for football. The structure in Germany is much more stable."

Sagnol did raise one question over Joachim Loew's team, however, claiming that they might be victims of their own success."Perhaps the only trouble in the German national team is the leadership problem," he said.

"Germany have not had a difficult phase since 2006, so one cannot say whether the present leadership is good."In their last three appearances in major international competitions, Germany have progressed to at least the semi-finals.

 

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