Beauchamp re-signs with Wanderers

Updated December 31, 2012 09:46:55

Western Sydney Wanderers captain Michael Beauchamp has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the rookie A-League club for the 2013/14 season.

The news is a boost for the fourth-placed Wanderers ahead of their clash with third-placed Melbourne Victory at Parramatta Stadium on New Year's Day.

Beauchamp, a 31-year-old central defender, has been a rock at the back for the Wanderers who have defied many experts with their impressive form in their first year in the competition.

Beauchamp, who played his junior football in Sydney's western suburbs, was thrilled to be staying at the Wanderers.

"It really means a lot to me to get another opportunity to play under (coach) Tony Popovic and be part of the squad," Beauchamp said.

"It has been a great season so far and there is more to come. What is happening here at the Wanderers is something special and it is terrific to be part of it for next season.

"It is a credit to the club, coaching staff and the boys to get the results we have achieved and to get out and represent the west of Sydney like we have."

AAP

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted December 31, 2012 09:46:55

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Bin Hammam resigns after provisional ban extended

Updated December 18, 2012 09:56:55

Mohamed Bin Hammam has announced he has resigned from his roles on FIFA's executive committee and as president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Qatari said in an emailed statement that he had stepped down from the positions 10 days after the ethics committee of football's world governing body FIFA, launched a new probe into corruption claims against him.

FIFA responded to bin Hammam's statement by saying it had received his resignation letter but stressed its ethics committee remained competent to make and maintain a judgment "even if a person resigns".

On that basis, FIFA noted its own report showed "repeated violations of Article 19 (Conflict of Interest) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, edition 2012, of Mohamed Bin Hammam during his terms as AFC president and as member of the FIFA executive committee in the years 2008 to 2011, which justified a life-long ban from all football related activity."

The 63-year-old has been accused of trying to buy the result of a vote to the world governing body's top job in 2011 and was banned by FIFA from all footballing activities.

This ban was subsequently overturned by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July due to what it called a lack of evidence over the corruption allegations.

Bin Hammam, who is still provisionally suspended from football, said he was fed up with what he said were "trumped up allegations".

"For me, the decision by CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), the highest independent authority in sports arbitration, that FIFA's ban was unjustified is enough," he said in the statement.

"This decision has been now confirmed by a new Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee who failed to introduce any evidence in spite of spending tens of millions of dollars for an investigation.

"I do not want to spend any more of my life fighting trumped up allegations and to focus instead on my family and businesses. However, if further allegations are made I will, of course, defend myself in the same way that I did in the past."

Last month, the AFC said it was looking to replace bin Hammam following a unanimous decision to hold presidential elections next year.

According to insiders, interim president Zhang Jilong of China is favourite to claim the post full-time and last month said he had "promised a new vision for AFC" in a "new era of transparency" after nine years of bin Hammam being at the helm.

AFP

Tags: soccer, sport, qatar

First posted December 18, 2012 09:56:55

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Glory coach Ferguson re-signs for two more years

Updated March 27, 2012 15:02:03

Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson has re-signed with the A-League club for a further two seasons.

Ferguson took over as coach midway through last season and has guided the Glory to third on the table this year.

Perth will begin its finals campaign on Sunday, when it takes on Melbourne Heart in an elimination final.

Ferguson has become the second A-League coach in a week to be rewarded with a new contract.

Last week Adelaide United gave John Kosmina a contract extension following the Reds' flying start to the Asian Champions League.

Kosmina, who took over as Adelaide coach for a second time following the mid-year sacking of Dutchman Rini Coolen, has been signed for another A-League season, with the option of an extra year.

AAP

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, perth-6000, wa, australia

First posted March 27, 2012 14:59:17

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Birmingham boss McLeish resigns by email

Updated June 13, 2011 08:31:00

Alex McLeish resigned as manager of Birmingham City on Sunday to round off a notable season where the club won their first trophy for 48 years but were then relegated from the Premier League.

"Acting chairman Peter Pannu received an e-mail resignation from McLeish earlier today while away on business in Amsterdam," the club said in a statement on their website.

McLeish, a former central defender who served Aberdeen and Scotland for many years, established his managerial reputation at Motherwell, Hibernian and Rangers before taking over as Scotland manager in January 2007.

It proved a short-lived appointment as he moved south to replace Steve Bruce at Birmingham in November of that year.

Birmingham were relegated at the end of his first season but he brought them immediately back up for the 2009/10 Premier League campaign where they finished ninth, their highest position for more than half a century.

This year they shocked Arsenal in the League Cup final but the success was followed by dramatic decline in their league form that ended with their relegation after a last-day defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

British media had earlier linked McLeish with a potentially controversial move across the city to take over the vacant Aston Villa manager's job following the resignation of Gerard Houllier through ill health and local bookmakers immediately made McLeish an odds-on favourite for that role following Birmingham's announcement.

McLeish was not the only managerial casualty on Sunday as Nottingham Forest, who missed out on promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs for the second successive season, sacked manager Billy Davies after two-and-a-half years in the job.

- Reuters

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, england

First posted June 13, 2011 08:07:00

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