ARSENAL`S TRANSFER POLICY: A CALL FOR CHANGE

It is no longer news to football enthusiast, especially, premier league followers that, Arsenal Football Club is going on the 10^th season without premier league trophy in the kitting and the 9^th season since it won her last trophy.

Analyst have attributed this dwindling fortune to Arsene Wenger`s prudent spending and inability to bring big names as well as quality players to the club.

Arsenals £30m Suarez Bid Rejected By Liverpool

Reports say Arsenals  £30m bid has been rejected by Liverpool. Suarez had earlier stated that it would be "difficult to say no" to Real Madrid. Chelsea have also been reported to be interested in the Uruguay international who is currently on break after the Confederations Cup in Brazil.
it is believed that Suarez will prefer a move abroad rather than England having complained of the unfair treatment by the English media.
Liverpool has however declined to comment on Arsenals bid having previously stated that Suarez is not for sale.

Racism In Football: Is FIFA & UEFA Doing Enough?

Racism has become a serious issue plaguing football worldwide. However, Europe seems to be where the theater of racial conflict is situated over the years. Racism is where there is discrimination or abuse as a result of skin color. It also occurs in other aspects of human lives but football seems to be the major opportunity for racists to display their self-acclaimed superiority as a result of color. Blacks have been the target of racial abuse over the years. There have been various incidents where black players have been subjected to racial chants and abuses all over Europe and up till now, there has been no severe punishment to player(s) or team(s) who has been found culpable of this unfortunate scenario by FIFA or UEFA.

Ferguson: Rooney Will Remain At Old Traford

Media reports recently suggest Wayne Rooney has fallen out of favor at Old Traford and may hit the exit door in the summer following his relegation to the bench when Manchester United face Real Madrid at Old Traford in the second leg of the knock out stage of the UEFA Champions League. United had taken advantage after a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Benabeu. 
It was a surprise to red devil fans when the team list shows that Wayne Rooney had been left out of the starting IX. Hence sparking reports that Rooney could be on his way out of Manchester United.

Dispute Over Ownership Of Sunday Mba

Rangers have declared that AFCON hero Sunday Mba is their bonafide player contrary to the claims by Warri Wolves, where he last played.

Mba, who shone at the Nations Cup in South Africa and even scored the championship winner in the final against Burkina Faso, is bound for an overseas club soon.

Warri Wolves have maintained the overseas-bound Mba is their player, but Rangers have now come out to dismiss such a claim.

Enugu state FA boss Chidi Ofor Okenwa said Mba has always been a player of Rangers as he was sent on loan to Dolphin in the first instance.

AFON 2013: Super Eagles Face Mali As Burkina Faso Square up Against Ghana

 The Super eagles of Nigeria yesterday defeated AFCON2013 favorites, the elephants of Cote D` Ivoire 2-1 in the quarter finals to progress to the semi-final where they will now face Mali. The energetic Emmanuel Emenike gave Nigeria the lead with a thunderous short from Mikel Obi`s short pass before the interval.

Liverpool Draw Hearts In Europa League Play-Off Round

Liverpool have been drawn against Hearts, while Newcastle will face Greek side Atromitos in the Europa League play-off round.

Liverpool are due to travel to Hearts on 23 August, with Newcastle heading to Atromitos. The return legs are scheduled for 30 August.
The winners of the two-legged games will join Tottenham in the group stage.

Games to be played on 21/22 & 28/29 August

Meanwhile, Celtic have been drawn to face Swedish side Helsingborgs in the Champions League play-off.

Celtic are due to play the first leg in Sweden on 21/22 August, with the return in Glasgow on 28/29 of the month.
It is the first time Celtic have faced a Swedish club in European competition.
Liverpool beat FC Gomel 4-0 on aggregate to take their place in the final round of Europa League qualifying, while Newcastle are back in Europe for the first time since 2007, when they lost to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the last 16.
Newcastle's opponents Atromitos finished fourth in the Greek Super League last season 
Motherwell are also in the play-off round after crashing out of the Champions League qualifiers with a 5-0 aggregate defeat by Panathinaikos. They have been given a tough assignment against Spanish La Liga side Levante.

Vincent Kompany Doubtful For Sundays Community Shield

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is a major doubt for Sunday’s Community Shield clash against Chelsea as he continues to struggle with a calf problem.
The central defender joined the full squad in a training session on Thursday evening but had previously been working alone on rebuilding his fitness.
He is described as ‘touch and go’ for the Community Shield but City will take no risks with such an important player.
Kompany, 26, flew home early from City’s tour of Malaysia last month to deal with the injury but the Premier League champions fully expect him to be fit for their title defence opener against Southampton a week on Sunday.
With Micah Richards struggling with a back problem sustained during the Olympics, it means Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott are likely to start at the heart of City’s defence against Chelsea at Villa Park.
City manager Roberto Mancini is looking to bolster his defensive options before the transfer window closes, with Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger the club’s top target. 

Xavi Rested For Spain Friendly

In his first selection since last month's European Championship triumph, Del Bosque also omitted Juan Mata, Jordi Alba and Javi Martinez, who took part in Spain's failed bid for a medal at the London Olympics after competing at Euro 2012 with the senior squad.

Carrick Included In England Squad To face Italy

England manager Roy Hodgson has named an experimental squad for their upcoming friendly against Italy, with Wayne Rooney and John Terry missing out, while Michael Carrick and Adam Johnson have both earned recalls to the team.
There are first senior call-ups for Tottenham dup Steven Caulker and Jake Livermore as well as Ryan Bertrand, while Tom Cleverley joins Manchester United team-mate Carrick in midfield.
There are two goalkeepers in the squad both hoping to earn their first senior caps, as John Ruddy is back in the team after breaking his finger in the pre-Euro 2012 training camp, while Jack Butland is included after impressive displays for Team GB at the Olympics.
Frank Lampard is back in the team after pulling out of Euro 2012 with injury, while up front Hodgson has chosen a mix of strikers including Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge, who was not picked for Euro 2012.
The squad is due to meet up on Sunday evening after the Community Shield between Chelsea and Manchester City at Villa Park, and will travel to Switzerland on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's match. 

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Steven Cauker (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Jake Livermore (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jack Rodwell (Everton), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

Federations Cup Semi-Finals Gets New Date

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced a new the date for semifinals of the 2012 Federation Cup.
August 15 had been scheduled as the date for the semifinal matches but the NFF has now opted for August 22 as the new date for the competition.
First vice president of the NFF, Mike Umeh explained that the move was informed by the desire to avoid a clash in dates for the semis and Nigeria's international friendly match with Niger Republic which holds on August 15.
"We (the NFF) had a meeting (on Wednesday) and decided that it was best we move the date for the Federation Cup to August 22 because we don't want a clash of dates as regards the Super Eagles' match and the Federation Cup semifinals," Umeh said.
Lobi Stars will face Kano Pillars, in the first semifinal in Calabar while Heartland and Prime FC will square off in the second in Ilorin.

Bellamy Set For Cardiff City Move

Craig Bellamy will complete a free transfer move from Liverpool to Cardiff City, after he passed a medical on Friday morning.

Netherland Name Squad For Belgium

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has announced his 24-man squad for the international friendly against Belgium on August 15.

USA Beat Japan To Secure Gold

The USA beat Japan 2-1 at Wembley to avenge their 2011 World Cup final defeat and claim their fourth Olympic gold in women's football.

Carli Lloyd scored both goals for the US, an early header and a powerful strike after the break.
Yuki Ogimi scored to reduce the deficit for Japan, who hit the opposition woodwork twice and their own once.
Japan had a chance to equalise late in the game but Hope Solo made an excellent save to deny Mana Iwabuchi.
It was enough for the USA to add to previous Olympic victories in 1996, 2004 and 2008. 

Champions League Play-Off Draw

Udinese will meet Braga in the 2012-13 Champions League play-offsfollowing Friday's draw in Nyon.
In the other four fixtures via the league route, Borussia Monchengladbach take on Dynamo Kiev, while Malaga face Panathinaikos.

Galatasaray Snap Up Melo On Loan

Galatasaray have announced that Felipe Melo has re-joined the club from Juventus on a season-long loan, with the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
The Turkish champions have paid the Turin giants a fee of €1,75 million to borrow the Brazil international for the coming season, and will have to shell out an additional €6.5m if they opt to buy him outright.
Gala have also confirmed via their official website that Melo will be earning an annual salary of €2.9m, plus a bonus of €25,000 per game.
The 29-year-old already spent the previous campaign on loan at the Istanbul giants, who were keen to sign him on a permanent basis this summer.
Nevertheless, they have now had to settle for another temporary deal after refusing to meet Juve's demands for a full transfer.
Melo, who has 22 Selecao caps to his name,  previously wore the jerseys of clubs such as Flamengo, Almeria and Fiorentina. 

Terry Out Of Italy Friendly

John Terry will be missing from the selection when Roy Hodgson's latest England squad is announced on Friday morning.

Conte Slammed 10 Months Ban

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has been banned for 10 months in relation to a match-fixing investigation.

The coach of the reigning Serie A champions had been accused of failing to report alleged match-fixing involving Siena when he managed them in the 2010-11 season in Serie B.
Conte failed to report attempts to influence the outcome of two Serie B matches against Novara and AlbinoLeffe.

Liverpool To Treble Allen`s Wages

Liverpool will treble Joe Allen's wages and pay him a £2 million signing-on fee when he completes his move from Swansea City.
Allen is poised to undergo a medical at Liverpool's training ground on Friday ahead of completing a £15m move from the Liberty Stadium.
The Welshman watched from the directors' box at Anfield on Thursday night as Brendan Rodgers' team sealed their place in the Europa League play-off draw by sweeping aside FC Gomel 3-0 to record a 4-0 aggregate win over the two legs.
It is understood that Liverpool have agreed to triple Allen's Swansea salary, which is worth £15,000-a-week, and supplement his new £45,000-a-week deal with a £2m signing-on fee.
He will become Rodgers' second major signing at Anfield following the capture of Fabio Borini, who joined from Roma earlier this summer in a deal worth up to £11.2m.
Liverpool triggered a release clause in Allen's contract by tabling a £15m bid and the deal became inevitable once the midfielder made it clear to Swansea officials that he wanted to have the chance to speak to the Merseysiders.
The transfer reunites Allen with Rodgers, his manager at Swansea until he took over at Liverpool on June 1.
Rodgers helped to nurture the Swansea academy graduate into an accomplished deep-lying playmaker and he is expected to be part of a three-man midfield at Anfield alongside Lucas Leiva and Steven Gerrard.
Swansea will now turn their attention to capturing a replacement for Allen. They have targeted Bolton Wanderers midfielder Mark Davies but are unwilling to pay more than the £5m they have offered for the 24-year-old.
Bolton are holding out for £6m for the former Wolves player but Swansea will turn their attention to other targets if the Championship club do not accept the bid on the table.
Curled From goal.com
 

Di Maria Extends Madrid Contract

Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Angel Di Maria to extend his contract for a further six years, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2017-18 season.
The 24-year-old’s new deal will run until June 30, 2018, according to an announcement on the club’s official website. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
This is the second major update to Di Maria’s contract in the past two months, after he was rewarded with a wage increase in June that took his salary from €2m to €3m per year.
The Argentine winger expressed his joy at the extension, telling Marca: "I am very happy because I know that the club extended the contract for the work I am doing. I feel very supported and loved by the club and the fans."
"Personally, I have greatly improved, thanks to Mourinho. I thank God for the work and sacrifice I made every day, and with every game, I managed to win the affections of the fans. I am delighted with them"
"I am fulfilling a dream that I had as a child. I am very happy here and this contract extension gives me the opportunity to remain here for many years and keep growing."
Di Maria joined Los Blancos from Benfica in June 2010 and has since gone on to make 83 appearances for the club, playing a vital role in their victorious 2011-12 Primera Division campaign.

Rooney Wants RVP At Old Traford

Wayne Rooney believes Arsenal forward Robin van Persie would be a great addition to the squad if he joins him at Manchester United.

United are the favourites to sign the Holland international after the 29-year-old stated his intention not to sign a new contract with the Gunners.
The prospect of last season's Premier League top scorer arriving at Old Trafford is already exciting supporters and Rooney echoes those sentiments.
"Of course he's a player that I admire," said Rooney.
"He's a fantastic player. He's been amazing for Arsenal over many years. Last season was probably his best season of all. He scored a lot of goals.
"If he does come here he would be a great addition to the squad."
Sir Alex Ferguson also has Danny Welbeck, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov as attacking options but it is the prospect of Rooney and Van Persie linking up that will concern their rivals.
Asked if he and the Dutchman could form a deadly partnership, Rooney added: "I'd like to think so - but you'd have to ask the manager about that.
"There's a lot of forwards here already with myself, Welbeck, Chicharito and Berbatov, who's still here.
"So there's a lot of forwards fighting for a place."

Kaka Up For Sale

When Brazilian superstar Kaka opted against a £100 million move to the Premier League back in January 2009, it appeared unlikely that the attacking midfielder would ever grace these shores.
The 30-year-old decided Real Madrid was a better fit than Manchester City, and decided to leave AC Milan for Spain instead of England.
Three-and-a-half years on, and the former Sao Paulo starlet appears to have reached a crossroads in La Liga, with manager Jose Mourinho willing to let the player leave his club – for the right price of course.

Mark Clattenburg To Officiate Men's Olympic Final

Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has been chosen to officiate the 2012 Olympic Games men's football final on Saturday, contested between Brazil and Mexico at Wembley Stadium.
The 37-year-old will be joined by fellow Englishmen Stephen Child and Simon Beck who will be his assistant referees.

Low Names Squad to Face Argentina

Germany coach Joachim Low has chosen to rest a number of high-profile players after naming his 19-man squad for the friendly against Argentina on August 15.
Captain Philipp Lahm misses out due to the impending birth of his child, while Arsenal pair Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker are omitted to help them prepare for Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Sunderland on August 18.

Parker Out Untill November after Surgery

Tottenham have confirmed that midfielder Scott Parker has undergone surgery to his right Achilles and will be out until mid-September.
The club have revealed that the 31-year-old will return to training after the international break and will miss England's friendly against Italy as well as the World Cup qualifiers with Moldova on September 7 and Ukraine four days later.
Parker missed Tottenham's final four Premier League matches with an Achilles injury but still played for his country at last summer's European Championship.

Chelsea Set To Seal Moses Deal

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Wigan Athletic forward Victor Moses after talks between the clubs.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan met Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay on Tuesday as the clubs attempted to agree a deal for the 21-year-old.

It is understood Chelsea have been told to match Wigan's £8.5m valuation for Moses or walk away from the deal.
Chelsea remain hopeful of including Moses in their Community Shield squad to face Manchester City on Sunday.
Having started some way apart in their valuations of the former England Under-21 international, the clubs appear to be close to agreeing terms.
Wigan have dropped their asking price from an initial £10m to a figure Chelsea now consider more reasonable.
Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo is understood to be extremely keen to bring in Moses, who scored six Premier League goals last season, but owner Roman Abramovich will have the final say.
Whelan has said that. while reluctant to see Moses leave, the club will not stand in his way if he wants to play for a bigger club.

Canada Beat France To Pick Bronze

The female Canada team defeated there french counterparts as they nicked in a late goal. Diana Matheson late goal was enough for them to pick the bronze medal at the ongoing London 2012 Olympics.
 The United States will later take Japan in a crucial encounter to decide who picks the gold medal. Japan are the world champions after they defeated U.S.A in the final. While the United States are currently defending there title at the London 2012 Olympics. Who will carry the day? Lets see !!!!!

Deschamps Names Squad To Face Uroguay

New France coach Didier Deschamps has named his 22-man squad for the upcoming international friendly against Uruguay on August 15.
 The former Olympique de Marseille boss already stated that he was likely to make a number of changes to the team that went to Euro 2012, and has called up several players who did not travel to Poland and Ukraine this summer.

Almunia: I Have My Regrets Says Former Arsenal Keepper

The end could barely have been longer or more painful for Manuel Almunia at Arsenal, but finally the Spaniard is starting to feel loved again.

Goalkeeper Almunia last week joined Watford on a free transfer after eight years on the other side of the London Colney training ground fence at Arsenal.

During his time with the Gunners, Almunia collected an FA Cup ­winners’ medal, played in a ­Champions League final and ­produced man-of-the-match ­performances against Barcelona and Manchester United.

But, as is the case with most ­goalkeepers, Almunia will be remembered by many for the blunders and the moments of ­madness.

PSG Snap Moura From United

Paris St Germain have confirmed that they have agreed a deal with Sao Paulo for the transfer of midfielder Lucas Moura.
The 19-year-old will remain with the Brazilian side until January before linking up with Carlo Ancelotti's side on a four-and-a-half-year deal.