Farina wants protection for Del Piero

Updated December 30, 2012 14:55:07

Sydney FC coach Frank Farina has called for referees to give Alessandro Del Piero better protection after the Italian superstar was ruled out of his team's New Year's eve clash with Adelaide United.

Del Piero was deemed unfit to play Monday's game because of leg soreness after a torrid time in his team's 1-0 upset victory over league leaders Central Coast on Thursday.

"Alessandro has pulled up really sore in the achilles and calf after Thursday's match and he isn't fit to travel to Adelaide," Farina said.

"He got fouled eight or ten times during the match and with the short turn around he hasn't been able to train and he's not fit to play.

"It's a blow for us and a shame for the people of Adelaide but I think there needs to be better protection for him on the field.

"We play a physical game and Alessandro is a big boy who can handle himself but he is getting kicked repeatedly and if that continues he will miss games through injury.

"Hopefully he will be able to recover in time for the next away trip to Perth."

Del Piero joins a long list of injured Sydney FC players to miss the clash with Adelaide United including Ivan Necevski, Fabio, Pascal Bosschaart, Jason Culina, Joel Chianese, Mitch Mallia, Kruno Lovrek and Paul Reid.

AAP

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

First posted December 30, 2012 14:55:07

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Emerton wants Socceroos spot back

Updated October 23, 2012 07:37:41

Overlooked Socceroo Brett Emerton wants to use next month's international friendly against South Korea as his springboard back into the national setup.

Emerton also said he felt the friendly was an ideal time to experiment with the line-up and test some new talent with more than five months until Australia's next World Cup qualifying match.

Emerton, who last represented Australia in November last year, said he still harboured ambitions to wear the green and gold - admitting it was one of his main motivations when recovering from an ankle injury.

"That's been my aim since coming back from surgery five or six months ago," Emerton said.

"I feel I'm back. I've got three games under my belt and I'm feeling stronger with each one.

"I hope to have the opportunity to play for the Socceroos again soon.

"You put your hand up for any international game. It's always an honour and a privilege to represent your country.

"Time will tell (but) I'd love to wear the green and gold again."

And while 33-year-old Emerton is eager to get back into the national team, he also admitted this match could serve as the ideal way to give some of Australia's young stars a taste of the international stage.

The likes of Tommy Oar, Mitchell Langerak, James Holland and Adam Sarota could all be considered by coach Holger Osieck - a move which would please Emerton.

"Any opportunity to blood young players in the national team is a good one," he said.

"It's Holger's decision entirely. In any team it's about finding the right balance and when it is the right time to do so."

Osieck said the November 14 friendly against South Korea in Hwaseong would be valuable preparation, with Australia desperate to build on last week's scrappy 2-1 victory over Iraq.

South Korea are top of their World Cup qualifying group after posting convincing wins against Qatar and Lebanon, a draw against Uzbekistan and a loss to Iran.

"This will be another important game as part of our preparation for the second phase of this round of qualifiers," Osieck said.

"We are now at the halfway mark and we need to focus on our remaining qualification matches.

"The match will serve as a good comparison test for us."

The match at Hwaseong Stadium will kick off at 9:00pm (AEDT) and will be the Socceroos' final match of the year.

Osieck's team will resume World Cup qualification in March, when they host Oman at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

AAP

Tags: socceroos, soccer, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted October 23, 2012 07:37:41

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Crook wants to bring bling back to Sky Blues

Updated May 15, 2012 11:57:19

Sydney FC's newly unveiled head coach Ian Crook says he wants to bring the 'bling' back to the A-League club.

Once dubbed Bling FC, the Sky Blues have lost their lustre and Crook thinks it is time for Sydney to reclaim its title as the glamour club.

The Sky Blues on Monday ended their long search for a head coach with Crook's elevation from youth coach to the senior job on a two-year deal.

This now allows the focus to shift to the much-needed recruitment of up to seven players with chairman Scott Barlow saying there was enough money at the club, now owned by his father-in-law, Russian billionaire David Traktovenko.

With three spots available for overseas players, Crook feels the addition of some star quality to attract fans is vital, especially with imminent cross-town rivals west Sydney also vying for supporters.

He says his priority would be to bolster the forward pack particularly with the loss of Brazilian striker Bruno Cazarine.

"This club has been blessed in times with some real crowd pleasers - Dwight (Yorke) was a crowd pleaser, even David Carney and then we had Juninho." Crooke said.

"So I think it's important that who we bring in needs to fit into a culture that we want to develop, but they need to have a little bit of flair where it will actually get people in here.

"We definitely need to have something that's going to bring back a bit of excitement."

When asked if he wanted to bring the bling back to the club he said: "Yeah I have no problem with that and if I live to regret that then it's not an issue at all.

"This club had this cocky kind of mentality from day one where everybody else wanted to knock it off and Sydney, just by having that name, should have that character."

Crook's promotion comes after Sydney pursued and missed out on top coaching targets Graham Arnold and Tony Popovic.

But Crook, who admitted he only considered going for the job when it appeared Arnold was out of the running, said he had no problem being further down the list of candidates.

"You start hearing little things that it's (Arnold's signing) going to happen, it's not going to happen.

"I just sat there thinking to myself `I wonder if I could do this?'

"Then you just have to have the guts to put your hand up and thankfully for me they've decided to go that way.

"I know Arnie was first choice, and that's alright, I'll give him that one."

After two disappointing seasons the heat will be on Crook to restore the two-time championship winning club to the top of the league with Barlow saying the benchmark was to secure an AFC Champions League spot, which requires a top-three finish.

Crook confirmed Steve Corica will remain assistant coach with Zeljko Kalac staying on as goalkeeping coach.

AAP

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

First posted May 15, 2012 11:57:19

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Lavicka wants to stay with Sydney

Updated January 06, 2012 15:53:39

Under pressure himself, Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka expressed sympathy for axed rival Mehmet Durakovic as he reiterated his desire to remain with the A-League club.

Durakovic was shown the door by Melbourne Victory on Friday following a poor campaign that has seen the two-time premiers record just three victories and sit just two points off the foot of the table.

Lavicka is also feeling the heat ahead of Sunday's clash with leaders Central Coast, after his side's poor recent form which includes conceding eight goals in losing their past two games to Melbourne Heart and Wellington.

The Czech is off-contract at the end of the this campaign and Sky Blues chief executive Dirk Melton said this week a decision will be made on his future within the next month.

Lavicka guided the club to the A-League title in his first season in charge two years ago but failed to make the finals in 2011.

A repeat of that failure would almost certainly cost him his job and the 48-year-old admits he must take the blame for the poor run of form.

"I was surprised at the news from Melbourne and sorry to hear it, but we have our own problems to worry about," Lavicka said.

"I am happy here in Sydney, but we are at a tough period of the season.

"We have lost our momentum a little bit and I take full responsibility."

Key men Nick Carle and Karol Kisel will return following injury and suspension respectively for the visit of the Mariners to the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.

Lavicka said he will also be making changes to his leaky defence in a bid to end a run of three games without a victory that has seen 10 goals conceded.

"We have to make some changes as things have not worked recently in our defence," he said.

"Nicky's return is positive as we haven't won when he has been out."

AAP

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

First posted January 06, 2012 15:50:22

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Schwarzer wants fresh Fulham success

Updated July 13, 2011 09:03:32

Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has said Fulham cannot afford to stand still but must build on its impressive achievements of recent seasons if they are to enjoy future success.

Although one of London's smaller top-flight clubs, in terms of ground capacity and tradition, Fulham have twice finished in the Premier League top 10 over the past three seasons and also made it to the Europa League final in 2010.

Schwarzer has been a cornerstone of the Cottagers' team in that time.

"We've just got to keep backing up what we've been doing over the last few years," he told Fulham's website on Tuesday.

"The last three seasons have been -- for Fulham Football Club and a lot of us personally - fantastic.

"It's possibly been the best three years in a lot of our careers. We need to continue that run.

"We believe that we belong in the top half of the Premier League and we like to think that we can mix it in Europe every couple of seasons.

"The expectation levels are always higher. When I first came here, the club had just avoided relegation with 15 minutes to spare so anything above that was a bonus.

"To then finish seventh, then have such a great run in Europe and finish eighth last year means the expectations are there.

"We, as players, acknowledge that and we know that we need to live up to them.

"So far it's been a great challenge. If you look at the history of the club and how much has been accomplished, particularly in the last three years - it's been outstanding."

Schwarzer also praised the contribution of Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of London's Harrods department store.

"The chairman's been 100 per cent supportive and the club wouldn't exist in the position it is now without the support of the chairman," he added.

"He's always been there and he's always been rock-solid for the club. He's always looked to progress.

"In the years that I've been here, I've seen a lot of progression."

- AFP

Tags: socceroos, sport, soccer, english-premier, england, australia

First posted July 13, 2011 06:50:39

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Hearfield wants more after stunning Celtic

Posted July 3, 2011 13:49:00

Central Coast recruit Troy Hearfield is looking for lots more goals after his stunner on debut delivered the Mariners an upset 1-0 victory over Scottish soccer titan Celtic at the Olympic stadium on Saturday.

Hearfield's unstoppable curler from the edge of the area inside the last five minutes proved the difference in a tight contest.

The second-half substitute only arrived at the club a few days earlier following a stint with Indonesian side Pelita Jaya.

After being used primarily as a defender in Indonesia and at his previous A-League club Wellington, Hearfield is looking forward to a more attacking role with the Mariners.

"I've been signed to the club to be a goalscorer and get back to goalscoring," he said.

"I've been at the back for a long time at Wellington and it's just good to get forward and get back shooting.

"I was in camps with the Olyroos with (Mariners coach) Graham Arnold and he knows what I can do, he's seen me play when I was younger.

"He signed me to the club to be explosive and to run at players and get back to my natural game which is going forward."

Arnold was very aware of Hearfield's attacking prowess.

"I've got a very high opinion of Troy, more in the attacking half than in the defensive half, where he has played with Wellington," he said.

The chance to use recruits Hearfield, Adriano Pellegrino and Brad McDonald was a positive for Arnold, who admitted with 13 weeks to go to the A-league kick-off, he could not really take anything out of Saturday's game.

He was delighted with the performances of versatile Rostyn Griffiths in the unfamiliar role of centre back and fellow central defender Patrick Zwaanswijk, who was also complimented by Celtic coach Neil Lennon.

Left back Josh Rose was the home player who received the warmest praise from Lennon.

"I thought he got forward very very well, and (was) very athletic and very good on the ball," Lennon said of Rose.

The full-back revealed he was determined to show he was more than a one-season wonder following an outstanding 2010-11 campaign.

"One of the things I wanted to do was back it up again this year, prove to people out there that it wasn't just a one-off and I've been working pretty hard during the preseason," Rose said.

Lennon said he would have liked to watch injured Mariners midfield ace Mustafa Amini play, although the highly rated youngster still made an impression on the visiting coach.

"It's a hell of a hairstyle he's got," joked Lennon.

Mariners midfielder John Hutchinson has joined their sister club, Chinese Super League team Chengdu Blades, on loan until October 30.

- AAP

Tags: sport, football, aleague, australia, nsw, gosford-2250, sydney-2000, united-kingdom, scotland

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England's footballing body wants FIFA presidential vote postponed

1 June 2011

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England's Football Association wants FIFA to postpone tomorrow's re-election of incumbent Sepp Blatter as president. Blatter is expected to be re-elected unopposed, despite one of the worst corruption scandals in FIFA's history.

Mel Brennan
Former FIFA delegate who worked with Jack Warner, the outspoken FIFA executive committee member and Vice President who is now suspended and being investigated for corruption

Michel Panayotov, international editor

Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.

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Bin Hammam wants Blatter investigation

Posted May 27, 2011 07:46:00

FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam called on incumbent and rival Sepp Blatter to be included in an ethics investigation as the latest crisis to engulf soccer's troubled governing body escalated on Thursday.

Bin Hamman, who will face an ethics committee hearing on Sunday over a report of possible bribery along with CONCACAF president Jack Warner, questioned the timing of the investigation and said it could be part of a plan to force him to withdraw from the June 1 election.

This was denied by Blatter who said he got no joy from the allegations against 62-year-old Asian Football Confederation head Bin Hammam, describing the Qatari as a "man whose friendship I enjoyed for many years".

The pair came face to face on Thursday at a scheduled meeting of the FIFA finance committee at the federation's imposing headquarters in an exclusive Zurich suburb, a spokesman said.

Finance committee chairman Julio Grondona told reporters: "There was no problem between them, they even hugged in the middle of the room."

The crisis erupted on Wednesday following a report by CONCACAF secretary general Chuck Blazer on a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union on May 10-11.

FIFA said the event was attended by Warner and Bin Hammam and was linked to the presidential campaign.

Blazer, who like Bin Hammam and Warner is a member of FIFA's powerful executive committee, reported possible violations of the federation's code of ethics including possible bribery, FIFA said.

CONCACAF and Asia are the only two continental confederations not to have declared their support for a candidate in the election, with Europe, South America, Africa and Oceania all having said they will back Blatter.

The report sent to FIFA's ethics committee was prepared for Blazer by Chicago-based lawyer John Collins, a sports law specialist who has worked with the US Soccer Federation.

From 1992 until 1997, Collins served in the office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, prosecuting cases involving bank fraud, securities fraud, and other white collar crimes.

"I have written a lengthy report which has been submitted to FIFA," said Collins, who declined to comment on the content of the report or the kinds of documentation it contains.

Latest scandal

It was the latest scandal to hit FIFA since the controversial vote which awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar in December.

"The timing of the accusations so close to the election of FIFA president on June 1, 2011 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage Mr Bin Hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the FIFA presidency," said a statement on Bin Hammam's website.

"The accusations also contain statements according to which Mr Blatter ... was informed of, but did not oppose, payments allegedly made to members of the Caribbean Football Union.

"Mr Bin Hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include Mr Blatter himself."

Blatter denied this in a column for the Inside World Football website.

"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," he said

"I am shocked, saddened and deeply unhappy about the charges levelled against a man whose friendship I enjoyed for many years," said Blatter, who is standing for a fourth term.

"It gives me no pleasure to see him suffer public disgrace before an investigation would even have started."

He also praised Blazer, CONCACAF's general secretary since 1990.

"I also admire Chuck Blazer's civic courage and an initiative that resulted from reports he received from within the confederation he administers as its secretary general.

There were no clues as to where Sunday's hearing could leave the June 1 election, especially if Bin Hammam is provisionally suspended.

The hearing will be chaired by Namibian judge Petrus Damaseb, former president of his country's football association.

Damaseb, who played at one of Namibia's top clubs Chiefs Santos, studied at Warwick University in England on a United Nations scholarship after fleeing his country as a teenager to join its struggle for independence from South Africa.

After 1990 he returned to work in the new Namibian government before going into private practice and then being named a judge of the high court in 2004.

- Reuters

Tags: sport, football, switzerland

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Lavicka wants more aggression

Posted April 11, 2011 21:53:00

Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka wants his side to show some killer instinct in Wednesday's crucial Asian Champions League home game against Kashima Antlers.

The Sky Blues have scored just one game in their first two ACL games, with sole scorer Nicky Carle ruled out of the Sydney Football Stadium encounter with a strained hamstring.

With draws from their two ACL group matches, both at home, and three away games to finish off with, Sydney desperately need a win on Wednesday.

"We have to score more goals," Lavicka told reporters on Monday.

"I think we showed a good performance against the Chinese team Shanghai Shenhua last Wednesday, we created chances, we had a lot of possession."

"But I expect especially in the attacking last third we should be more aggressive, to be like true killers in some moments."

Lavicka conceded the loss of creative Socceroo midfielder Carle represent "trouble" for Sydney, though he was expected to miss just one game after getting injured last week.

"It's difficult to replace the marquee player because Nicky especially the last games of this (A-League) season he's shown his good quality and he is an important part, especially when we are attacking," Lavicka said.

"We have to replace him but we have players who are younger than him and less experienced."

Lavicka confirmed exciting youngster Dimi Petratos was one option to replace Carle, though he is short of recent playing time after being on the injury list.

The Sydney coach said a couple of other players had small medical matters in the lead-up to the game, but would not divulge their identities.

"That's only for tactical reasons, because the Japanese team is here in Sydney, so they save their team, we would like to save our team as well," Lavicka said.

He described Kashima as a typical Japanese team that was dangerous in attack and compact in defence.

The Kashima game is likely to have special resonance for Sydney's Japanese midfielder Hirofumi Moriyasu, who has established himself as a regular team member there.

Moriyasu played lower level football in Japan and was on the verge of quitting the game until he signed for NSW Premier League club Apia-Leichhardt, where he was spotted by Sydney.

"I never thought last year I'd play a team from my country, because I wasn't playing and I'm definitely looking forward to playing against a Japanese team," Moriyasu told reporters.

"I played against their (Kashima) reserve team a couple of years ago and we (College Football Japan) got smashed like 10-0 at that time.

He said he had passed on a couple of pieces of information about Kashima on to Lavicka.

- AAP

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