dzsport

Raouraoua likely to head Algeria’s FAF

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:13:42 +0100

Font size:

Mohamed Raouraoua

Deadline to submit application for the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) elections expired on Sunday leaving more chances for Mohamed Raouraoua to be the FAF’s president.

The elections will be held on February 16 while the leader of Biskra’s League Abdelkader Chaabani withdrew from the race in the last minute.
Sources say he was convinced that he had little chances compared to Raouraoua who is strongly backed by his supporters.
Previously, manager of Chlef football team Abdelkarim Medouar had urged Chaabani to not apply for the FAF elections.
“The announcement of Raouaraoua to take part in the race has resolved the electoral process before its time,” he had said in a radio programme.

Algerian Lahcene prefers to join France: magazine

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:04:40 +0100

Font size:

Real Racing Club de Santander’s midfielder Mehdi Lehcene is lingering on joining the Algerian national football team because he prefers to play for France, according to a sports magazine.

Mehdi Lehcene could have replied to Algerian coach Rabeh Saadane’s invitation to play for his team starting from February 8, said France Football on Saturday.
He preferred to not immediately answer for causes many see they are unconvincing, said the same magazine.
The same source did not report any statement from Lehcene but it clearly points out his desire to play for the French team but he did not find the best way to reject Saadane’ invitation

Algeria Es Setif fisrt: football Winter Champion

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:53:05 +0100

Font size:

Arab Champions League winner Es Setif gained the symbolic title of the Winter Champion in the Algerian local football championship after defeating USMH in a first leg match on Friday.

The match stopped before the 90 minutes got over as masses of USMH’s supporters had gone down to the playground after Delhoum scored the second goal for Es Setif in the 63’rd minute.
ES Setif won their second consecutive Arab Champions League title in 2008, with a 1-0 victory over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca.
Previously, Es Setif manager said his players could face the Confederation of African Football (CAF) with no fears.

Benzema sends Lyon through in French Cup

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:49:57 +0100

Font size:

An early Karim Benzema goal gave French Cup holders Olympique Lyon a 1-0 win over Olympique Marseille and a ticket to the last 16 on Wednesday.

France striker Benzema capitalised after a blunder by the Marseille defence to open the scoring from close range two minutes into the game in Lyon.
Lyon will visit Ligue 1 rivals Lille in early March for a place in the quarter-finals.
The match will be a special occasion for Lyon coach Claude Puel, who joined the seven-times French champions from Lille at the end of last season.
"We controlled the match and it was a logical win," Puel told reporters after a tense game marred by a few ugly scenes.
Lyon played the last 30 minutes with 10 men after Ivory Coast forward Kader Keita was sent off for a second booking but Marseille, who have won the Cup a record 10 times, rarely looked in contention.
The visitors had a great chance to level the tie deep in added time but susbtitute striker Sylvain Wiltord was denied by a fine save from Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris.
Marseille lost striker Bakari Kone after 20 minutes when the Ivory Coast striker had to be substituted after being unintentionally knocked in the head by Lloris's knee. Kone was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital for checks.
Benzema nearly doubled Lyon's advantage when he raced into the area and hit the post with angled shot five minutes into the second half.

West Brom 0-5 Manchester United/Ronaldo runs amok as United go three points clear

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:47:37 +0100

Font size:

Manchester United glided three points clear at the top of the table. The spree showed that it is creativity that makes the reigning champions unassailable on occasions such as this. A new Premier League record of 11 consecutive clean sheets reflects their domination as much as their resilience. All the same, there was unfortunate assistance to their cause.

West Bromwich's patched-up selection was further disrupted by the dismissal of Paul Robinson when they were 1-0 down. The decision by the referee Rob Styles was draconian. Robinson and Park Ji-sung both slid into a challenge after 40 minutes. The left-back tried to minimise the contact, but was still shown the red card.
Tony Mowbray, the West Brom manager, declined to rant. Nonetheless, there was a suggestion that the club will take the matter further. "If," said Mowbray, "the TV angle shows that he didn't leave the ground and didn't show his studs and there was an honest collision, then I'm pretty sure there will be a case to appeal it." The United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called the tackle "reckless and careless".
There was no cause for the visitors to dwell on it. Until last night, United had not quite been averaging a goal a game in away league fixtures. This fixture hinted at a lethal quality emerging for the closing phase in their defence of the title. "We have shown a ruthlessness that has maybe not been there this season," said Ferguson. "We hoped it was going to come and we expected it because of the standard of forwards we have, but tonight was the first indication it was there."
Cristiano Ronaldo notched his first League goal since 15 November and put Ferguson in a playful mood. The manager divulged the comment he had made to a player after his late penalty against Derby last week, and after what had been a vexatious campaign for the Portuguese. "I said to him, 'You're starting to score again, son. That's really good of you.'"
United's line-up was unexpectedly strong, with Rio Ferdinand returning from a back injury sustained last month and Wes Brown, who had not appeared since 25 October, fit enough to make an appearance from the bench. It was West Brom who were stricken. Their captain Jonathan Greening has medial-ligament damage that will rule him out for six months. More pertinently, Mowbray was without four of his five centre-halves and Ryan Donk had to be paired with Pele, the Portuguese who was making his first league start of the campaign.
Kick-off was delayed by half-an-hour because of problems on the motorway, but it would have suited West Brom better if the fixture had been postponed. United's pattern was soon imposed, with the accuracy and movement taking its toll.
The breakthrough was simple yet it also glowed with expertise. Michael Carrick steered a return pass to Dimitar Berbatov, who had checked his run to stay onside, and the striker finished with assurance. Once West Brom's numbers had been cut, they needed to be pragmatic to limit the damage, but a foolish goal was conceded before half-time. Scott Carson grabbed Ryan Giggs' free-kick but then dropped it. Carlos Tevez rolled home the loose ball.
There was still interest in seeing if West Brom could deny United their habitual clean sheet. Donk came close when he broke through from the right and hit the near post with an angled finish. But United's third goal was notched simply as Nemanja Vidic headed Giggs' corner past Carson from close range after an hour.
There was more melancholy for the West Brom fans with a fourth goal for United. Tevez slipped the ball left and Giggs set up Ronaldo . Its successor came within eight minutes after he was put clear by Berbatov. Carson and Donk were both cautioned for dissent as they insisted wrongly that it had been offside. That was just one of many errors last night.
United, though, had used the circumstances excellently, blooding Richard Eckersley and Zoran Tosic in the league as substitutes. The irate home crowd may have been raucous, but the visitors took on an ominous serenity at The Hawthorns.

Hadj Aissa : " Algeria line- up can subdue Egypt in next qualifiers".

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:44:40 +0100

Font size:

Hadj Aissa back on top with Algeria football line-up.

The talented Algerian striker of the first – league football squad of ES Setif Hadj Aissa said in an interview with the newspaper "Echorouk Al Yaoumi" that he is very satisfied at the decision by national coach Rabah Saâdane to summon him back to the Algerian national line-up in expectation of the next qualifiers of the World cup / Africa of Nations qualifying contest.

Q : How do you feel after being called back to the Algeria squad ?
* - I must say that I am fully enthralled at the prospect of playing again to defend the Algerian flag and I should also thank national coach Rabah Saâdane for including me in the newly-overhauled national line-up in anticipation of the upcoming confrontations.
Q : Rabah Saâdane has in a past statement to "Echorouk" criticized you for being too often injured. How did you receive his comments?
* - Coach Saâdane knows what he is saying and doing and he has the right to criticize any football player in Algeria or overseas. I should say that as a leading striker in my Setif squad, I have not been spared by the defenders of most teams we had to face and often the referees took a blind eye to this aggressive play and that's why I was often injured on the pitch. But I respect the national coach and took a leaf out of his remarks which prompted me to rebound and do better.
Q : Are you now ready to join in full force the Algeria squad ?
- -I am in good shape and I will do my utmost to make a commendable performance with the national team which is forging ahead by leaps and bounds.
I will have, hopefully, the opportunity to show my potentialities at the service of the national line-up shortly in a friendly International match versus the Benin squad.
Q : What do you think of the current Algerian national line-up ?
· - I should say that the current Algerian line-up, made up of a mixture of local and professional players, is really up to the mark and could fare well in the next round of the competition at the regional and international levels.
Q : The ES Setif top Manager Abdelhamid Serrar said that you should return to the Algerian national team prior to vying for a professional football career abroad. How do you see that?
- President Serrar has a wise and clear-sighted strategy indeed. He has advised me to join again the national squad and demonstrate to all and sundry my full footballing potential before embarking on a professional career with a foreign club in order to guarantee my success.
Q : How is your club ES Setif preparing for the next round of the Arab football champions' League competition ?
- ES Setif is steadily preparing for the next qualifiers and all the players are determined to make a great performance on the pitch and hopefully wrench the much-coveted Arab trophy for the third time in a row.
All the ES Setif staff and players will be pursuing this goal for the sake of Algeria and all the fans of the Setif squad.
Q : How do you see the upcoming hot confrontation between Egypt and Algeria ?
- I do hope to take part in this crucial match versus Egypt and I should say that we will reply to the Egyptians' sweeping statements with a fine and determined play on the pitch to prove that Algeria remains, all the same, a major footballing nation at both the continental and International levels.
I am confident that we will fare well in the next qualifiers.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester City's £100m bid for Kaka was justified

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:41:19 +0100

Font size:

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed that exorbitant fees, like the proposed £91 million deal Manchester City launched for Kaka, are entirely justified.

The Fifa World Player of the Year claims that "special players" are worth breaking the bank for and that it is normal for certain players to be more expensive than other players on the market.
"It's like cars. Some cars are better than others, that's why they're more expensive. It's the same with players. But this is only my opinion."
Ronaldo has collected a number of accolades for his 42-goal season but the 23-year-old still only rated last year's showing as nine out of ten. He insists he has more to give but the frustrations of injury at the start of the current campaign hampered his chances of a repeat performance.
"How do I rate last season? I can't say 10 out of 10, so nine. I can improve all the time. Ten is the maximum and I haven’t reached the maximum yet, so I’d give myself nine.
"My challenge is always to be better and better.

"This season I’d give myself eight out of 10. Some circumstances have gone against me, like at the start of the season when I was injured, but I don’t want to think about that.
"I’ll try to be as good as I was last season, but it’s hard."
Ronaldo has been named European and World Player of the Year in recent weeks, but he resolutely states that succeeding on an individual level is not his priority and his ambition remains winning trophies with United and Portugal.
There is also no room for complacency in his world as he says relaxing can lead to being left empty handed.
"Being the World Player of the Year is a great feeling, but it doesn’t change anything in my personality, my character, my ambition. I’m still the same" he said. "I want to win games, help United to win trophies. This is my ambition.
"Me scoring is not important, as long as the team wins. If that happens, I win too. I know if I keep working hard and doing the right things.
"If you relax it’s not good. Maybe sometimes you relax automatically, but I don’t want that. In my head, I know and I am always thinking, ‘Cristiano you have won nothing’ and I want to carry on like that."
Since joining United in 2003 he has won two League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup, two Community Shields, the European Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup. And as for the future Ronaldo is not short on his list of 'things to win'.
"I have the Champions League award – a replica – but I want another one," he said. "The feeling of winning that trophy was great. I want to win it again.
"My dream is also to win the World Cup and the Euros. I want to win more things for the club. The cups, the Premier League, Ballon D’Or, World Player of the Year, I want to win them all again.
"Winning is the most important thing. When you win, everything is good. Winning, scoring and beating defenders – that’s the order in which I like it.”

Milan may be prepared to buy Beckham

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:39:09 +0100

Font size:

AC Milan are willing to pay a fee for David Beckham to remain at the Serie A club but Los Angeles Galaxy have yet to agree, chief executive Adriano Galliani said on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old midfielder is on a two-month loan at Milan from Galaxy in an effort to stay in the England national team reckoning during the U.S. close season.

"If Beckham comes to an agreement with Galaxy, we are ready to pay a figure. In the coming days we will meet his advisors," Galliani told Sky Sport 24.

"If Los Angeles Galaxy decide not to sell him, they won't sell him."

Beckham has consistently said he will return to Los Angeles when the loan runs out on March 9 but calls for him to stay have grown since he scored his first Milan goal in the 4-1 win at Bologna on Sunday.

He has been tidy in three starts for the seven-times European champions and coach Carlo Ancelotti and top players at such as Kaka have already said they would like him to stay long-term.

"If he decides to leave (Galaxy) and wants to do it we will welcome him with open arms but he is owned by another club and we must thank them because they have been very kind to us," Galliani added.

"The player wants to stay with us but even he knows he must return to America."

Beckham's spokesman Simon Oliveira told Reuters last week: "There is always going to be speculation in sports pages and newspapers. David is enjoying his time in Milan but he is contracted to return on March 9th to L.A.

"It still stands and absolutely no conversations have taken place regarding changing that."

Algeria Es Setif ready to compete with best African clubs, says manager

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:01:03 +0100

Font size:

Abdelhakim Serrar

Manager of Algeria’s Es Setif footbal team said Monday his players can face the Confederation of African Football (CAF) with no fears.

"Given the huge sums we spent to select the best players, we must win titles. Otherwise, why has all that money been spent,” Abdelhakim Serrar told Maracana sport weekly newspaper.
“We have the right to look forward compete with the ever biggest African clubs along with the African Championship with no complex,” he said.
ES Setif won their second consecutive Arab Champions League title in 2008, with a 1-0 victory over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca.

“Non violence in Algerian stadiums” campaign

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:51:29 +0100

Font size:

“Non violence in Algerian Stadiums” campaign which was organized Thursday in coordination with “Planimap” agency, under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sport, said, “We should not advocate violence to our youths, because they lived and grew in the period of blood and terrorism. It is not our children’s fault; we are responsible, as parents and managers of the sport movement, for all that violence”

“Our youths need dialogue and communication to realize that sport is not violence but exercise,” Minister of Sport said Thursday.
“Military sport is a school to learn discipline for many generations, our youths need awareness on the risks of violence in stadiums,” General Mokdad Ben Zyad said.
“I agree with the Colonel Ben Zyad, fighting violence in stadiums is not only Police's duty but all the clubs and people,” said Colonel Tounsi, General Director of the Police.
“All sectors are responsible for the fight against violence in stadiums, we are sorry for the number of injures and damaged Ambulances, we must stop this phenomenon,” Colonel Mostapha Lehbiri, General Director of the Civil Protection said.
“Unemployment, poverty contribute in encouraging violence.Our youths feel upset because of their social situation and turn back to violence as a revenge. My message for them is; No violence, No violence, No violence,” Said Benida Merah ex Olympic champion in the 1500 meters.