Socceroo hero Kennedy keen for double duty

Posted by football on Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Striker Josh Kennedy doesn't want to be one of the Socceroos rested from their 48-hour international football survival test.

Kennedy, who scored twice on his return to the national team in the 3-0 win over New Zealand in Adelaide on Sunday, is happy to do double duty in the clash with Serbia in Melbourne on Tuesday night.

The Adelaide match was his first national team outing in eight months, with a back injury keeping him out of the Asian Cup.

And now - in front of a home crowd - the Japan-based Victorian wants more and hopes coach Holger Osieck will give him some role at Etihad Stadium against the world No.16.

"Backing up and playing two games in two days, it's obviously a big ask when we've obviously got (club) games on the weekend," said Kennedy, originally from northeast Victoria.

"When you come back (to Australia), you always want to play games. It's an international, it's my hometown Melbourne game. Of course you want to play."

Kennedy's J-League club side Nagoya Grampus play Jubilo Iwata on Saturday.

But after his double against the Kiwis, Kennedy - a striker who keeps goalscoring form once he finds it - would love another chance to boost his international goal tally.

What made the 28-year-old happiest about his second goal - a headed bullet from a corner - was that it was a set-piece worked on in training prior to the match.

With Kennedy and fringe Socceroos like James Troisi and Michael Zullo performing well, there was also hope that Australia's depth is developing nicely ahead of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers starting later this year.

"The second goal - we'd worked on it in training and it worked out really well," Kennedy said.

"We played well as a team, and every game we better as we play with each other."
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CONCACAF suspend Austin

Posted by football on Sunday, June 5, 2011

The power struggle at CONCACAF continues after acting president Lisle Austin was provisionally banned for an alleged rule violation.

Austin has been acting as president of the North, Central American and Caribbean governing body in Jack Warner's absence.

FIFA's ethics committee suspended Warner from all football-related activity pending the outcome of a full inquiry into bribery accusations made by fellow executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

Austin was drafted in as CONCACAF chief but, according to a statement on the confederation's website, he has now been suspended, with Honduran official Alfredo Hawit appointed in his place.

The statement read: ''Lisle Austin has been provisionally banned from all football activities within CONCACAF and at the national level by a majority of the CONCACAF Executive Committee members for apparent infringement of the CONCACAF Statutes.

''This suspension took effect on Thursday, June 2, 2011. Notice of this suspension is being sent to FIFA to be extended worldwide.

''As the senior most Vice President of CONCACAF, Alfredo Hawit, assumes the role of acting President under the CONCACAF Statutes.''

Austin and Blazer have been at loggerheads this week as the former attempted to sack the FIFA whistle-blower.

However, CONCACAF general secretary Blazer slapped down the threat and a statement on the body's website said the move was an ''unauthorised declaration''.

Austin will face a hearing on July 13 and has until June 13 to appeal the provisional ban. The Notice of Provisional Measure did not specify the case details.
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Lukaku hopes for imminent switch

Posted by football on Thursday, June 2, 2011

Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed he is hopeful of sealing a move to the Premier League in the next week.

Lukaku, 18, has been strongly linked with all of them Premier League's top four clubs, with Chelsea and Manchester City thought to be leading the race for his signature.

Amid talk of an £18 million move, Lukaku has now said that is keen to seal a switch to England in the coming days.

"I would like my future settled by next Monday," he said in the Daily Mirror. "My college exams start the next day and I don't want any other concerns.

"I'll be going to be one of the top two or three clubs in England - or else I'll stay at Anderlecht. I want to leave, because I want to score goals in a stadium where there are 50,000 people, and play in the Champions League."

Anderlecht revealed recently that Barcelona had been priced out of a move for the striker. Real Madrid had also openly expressed interest in Lukaku.
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Blatter 'takes no joy' in rival's plight

Posted by football on Friday, May 27, 2011

FIFA chief Sepp Blatter says "he takes no joy" in seeing presidential rival Mohamed Bin Hammam hauled before the ethics committee and has rejected "ludicrous and completely reprehensible" claims that he may have masterminded the situation.

Bin Hammam, who is the president of the Asian Football Confederation and is running against Blatter to be the new president of football's governing body, is under investigation over bribery allegations made by executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

Blazer, who is the general secretary of the CONCACAF federation, has alleged that violations were committed under the FIFA code of ethics during a meeting organised by Bin Hammam and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner on May 10 and 11 - the same time Lord Triesman had accused Warner of demanded money for a World Cup 2018 vote - in relation to the upcoming FIFA presidential election, which takes place on June 1.

FIFA announced on Wednesday that they had opened an investigation to examine the conduct of four officials - Bin Hammam and Warner, along with CFU officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester - and that all must attend a hearing in Zurich on Sunday, May 29.

The allegations made against Bin Hammam, who is the only candidate standing against Blatter, are certain to hinder the Qataris campaign, but the current FIFA chief says it gives him no pleasure to see a close friend publicly accused of wrong doing.

Blatter said: "To make a point very clear, let me say this: I take no joy in having to observe yet another Ethics Committee hearing and investigation. And I take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee.

"I take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades, suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing: nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

"To now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible.

"I say it again because it is important that those who apparently know everything start understanding something that their modest intellect seems unable to take on board: I am shocked, saddened and deeply unhappy about the charges levelled against a man whose friendship I enjoyed for many years. It gives me no pleasure to see him suffer public disgrace before an investigation would even have started."

The chairman of the ethics committee, Claudio Sulser, will not oversee the proceedings because he shares Swiss nationality with Bin Hammam's presidential rival Blatter, and this could be construed as a conflict of interests. The meeting will instead be chaired by the committee's deputy chairman Petrus Damaseb of Namibia.

Blatter added: "Whatever the outcome of this most recent investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee will be, it must encourage FIFA's leadership and world football to re-invigorate its determination to do the right thing and to govern itself without any tolerance for wrongdoing in the years to come.

"FIFA does not need a revolution. What FIFA needs is iron-clad laws that are implemented forcefully and allow world football's governing body to conduct its affairs transparently, properly and professionally in every respect.

"I shall make it a key initiative of my last term as FIFA president, if re-elected, to do just that: open the doors, re-enforce dialogue, improve our corporate governance and handle our public affairs with the kind of priority it deserves and must deliver."
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Osieck leaves door open for Bresciano

Posted by football on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck has left the door open for veteran midfielder Mark Bresciano to play a part in Australia's 2014 World Cup qualification campaign.

Bresciano, 31, has not played for the Socceroos since last year's World Cup in South Africa, after which he asked not to be considered for national team selection so he could focus on club duties with Italian club Lazio.

It was thought Bresciano could make his return in next month's friendly matches against New Zealand and Serbia but he was left out of Osieck's 23-man squad on Tuesday.

However, the German coach says Bresciano is on his radar and could make his return to national colours as Australia build towards the beginning of their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign in September.

"I considered it (picking Bresciano) and a couple of weeks ago we had some contact," Osieck said.

"But when I was in Europe recently I have to admit I couldn't get to Italy for some other reasons and there were so many other games and the schedule was not really appropriate.

"Down the road I could imagine that he may come back into our team."

Bresciano, who has 11 goals for Australia in 57 caps, made 20 appearances for Lazio this season and has another year left on his contract.
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Emerton scores again as Rovers survive

Posted by football on Monday, May 23, 2011

Socceroos veteran Brett Emerton completed his season transformation by scoring a cracking goal to help guide Blackburn to English Premier league safety on a dramatic final day.

Rovers headed into Sunday's round with five sides below them on the table but not assured of avoiding relegation for next season.

With relegated sides estimated to lose up to STG50 million ($A76.34 million) in revenue the following season, Emerton continued to provide a cool head just when his club needed him most.

After Jason Roberts opened the scoring in the 22nd minute against fellow relegation battlers Wolverhampton, Emerton provided a finish of sheer class in the 38th minute in his side's 3-2 away victory.

A long punt into the home side's box was not completely dealt with and Emerton struck the sweetest of right foot volleys into the corner of the net for a 2-0 advantage.

Emerton, who is off contract at the end of next season, has been a key figure in his side's scrap for survival over the past month.

He provided a telling assist in Blackburn's 1-1 draw at West Ham a fortnight ago and then scored with a sweeping left foot shot in last week's 1-1 home draw against champions Manchester United.

It has been quite a turnaround for the 32-year-old Australian.

He only started two of his club's opening eight matches of the season and lost his starting spot with the Socceroos at the business end of the Asian Cup.

Rovers skipped out to a 3-0 lead before halftime thanks to David Hoilett before Wolves scored two second half goals to confirm their place in the Premier League for another season.

However while Emerton and his teammates can celebrate their final day showing, fellow Socceroo David Carney's future at Blackpool is uncertain following the side's relegation on Sunday.

Carney, who is on the mend from a shoulder operation, joined the Tangerines from Dutch club FC Twente this season on a one-year deal.

Blackpool captured the imagination of the Premier League this season with their freewheeling ways but paid the price at the back as Manchester United downed them 4-2 at Old Trafford on the final day.

Of all the escape acts of the day, none was better than Wigan Athletic's.

Hugo Rodallega scored the 78th minute winner in their 1-0 win at Stoke with Birmingham's 2-1 loss at Tottenham pushing them into the abyss.
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Lille clinch title, Monaco on brink

Posted by football on Sunday, May 22, 2011

Lille claimed their first Ligue 1 title in 57 years as both they and nearest challengers Marseille drew 2-2.

Going into their penultimate league match with a six-point cushion, they needed only not to lose at Paris St Germain, or for Marseille to fail against Valenciennes to officially be confirmed as champions. As it was both sides of the bargain were fulfilled with a pair of four-goal draws.

Lille twice led through Ludovic Obraniak's fifth-minute goal and Moussa Sow's 59th-minute strike.

PSG had equalisers from Guillaume Hoarau, who was sent off moments into the second period, and Mathieu Bodmer, but it was not enough to deny Lille.

Indeed, by the time the final whistle went they were already champions as Marseille had been denied victory by Remi Gomis' 66th-minute equaliser.

Marseille had led after goals from Andre Ayew and Loic Remy had cancelled out Foued Kadir's opener in a hectic four-minute period in the first half.

The relegation issue remained as murky as ever as a clutch of teams fighting for safety secured wins or draws. Any of Monaco, Nancy, Caen, Valenciennes, Nice, Brest or Auxerre could still go down depending on results next week.

Monaco kept their survival hopes alive with a tense 1-0 win at Montpellier. The victory, secured by Benjamin Moukandjo's goal in the 56th minute, was not enough to lift Monaco out of the relegation zone, though. It means they need to get something from their final game of the season, against Lyon, and hope at least one of the teams above them drops points.

Nancy secured a vital win as they defeated Europa League qualifiers Rennes 2-0 at Route de Lorient. Bakaye Traore and Julien Feret got the goals for the visitors as they claimed three points to ensure they remain just a place and a point above the drop zone.

Brest avoided being in the bottom three as Larsen Toure gave them a 1-0 win at Auxerre, while Caen kept the right side of the line thanks to a goalless draw at Lyon.

Nice would also have been in the relegation zone but for Eric Mouloungui's brace giving them a 2-0 win over Lorient, who had Jacques Romao sent off late on.

Even Toulouse could have finished the day in the drop zone but, as it was, their 2-0 win over Bordeaux was enough to secure their safety.

The fact that Valenciennes face Nice next week means Toulouse and Montpellier are safe, despite being just three points above the drop zone.

Elsewhere, a double from Brown Ideye saw Sochaux secure their Europa League place with a 2-1 win over St Etienne, whose goal, a first-half equaliser, came from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while relegated Arles claimed their first away win of the season at Lens, who are also down.
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