Pato goals compilation – Why Chelsea fans should be excited
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Vietnam national Futsal team to practise hard in Uzbekistan
Within two days 29 and 30 of January, Vietnam national Futsal team have obeyed the practise plan in Uzbekistan. All players were under Coach Bruno’s guard with tactical lessons: 1v1, 3v3, pressing, power play, ..
At Bunyodkor gymnasium, all players had a good condition for practising while the temperature outside was really cold.
Gallery:
Anh Tú
Thai owners chase gold and glory after Leicester’s remarkable run
It took just 30 minutes for Leicester City’s Thai billionaire owner to decide to buy the English soccer club in 2010. It now looks like an inspired investment.
The club was struggling in English soccer’s second tier at the time. It has since won promotion to the premiership, and, remarkably, sits at the very top of the world’s richest league with over half the season gone.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal are all chasing hard, but in one of the sport’s biggest surprises of recent years, the giants of the national game can’t catch a team that many had expected to be dragged into a relegation scrap.
For the owner, duty free magnate Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the priority is to ensure the club from central England and its supporters do not get carried away.
And while his son and club vice chairman, Aiyawatt, prefers to keep discussions on soccer and money separate, Leicester’s ascent brings with it plenty of business opportunities.
“Anything can happen, so we need to keep our feet on the ground,” said Aiyawatt, who runs the club from “behind the scenes” while his father makes strategic decisions.
“It doesn’t just depend on us,” he told Reuters in Bangkok. “The big teams are not doing well … That’s why middle or small teams can make some difference. This season is a bit unusual, but it’s quite good for football in England.”
It could also be good for King Power, the travel retail company Vichai founded in 1989 that employs more than 10,000 people, dominates major airports in Thailand and has branched into restaurants, hotels and solar power.
Vichai, a self-made businessman whose personal fortune is estimated by Forbes at $3 billion, wants to use Leicester’s growing international appeal to boost Thai brands abroad via a new online business under development.
“People around the world know this website through Leicester City Football Club which several billion people watch closely already,” Vichai told reporters recently. “We will use this channel to make our website known.”
King Power is aiming for revenues of 85 billion baht ($2.4 billion) in 2016, a 25 percent increase from 68 billion baht last year, although the www.kingpoweronline.com website is still only a small part of that.
Where did it all go right?
Leicester’s performance means the 100 million pounds or so ($140 million) that Vichai and his family have poured into the club so far will reap dividends more quickly.
With premiership survival all but guaranteed, Leicester can plan ahead on surer footing.
Next season will bring the biggest payday yet for Premier League clubs thanks to a record-breaking 5.1 billion pound television deal with Sky and BT that runs from 2016 to 2019.
Champions Chelsea received 99 million pounds last season while even fourth-placed Manchester United secured a payout of 96.8 million.
A finish in the top four means a tilt at the Champions League, qualification for which is estimated to be worth another 40 million pounds.
“We are getting a significant amount of international attention and are on the radar of more international companies,” said Ian Flanagan, Leicester City’s commercial director. “We are the good news story of the Premier League this year.”
Aiyawatt, nicknamed “Top”, puts the success down to old-fashioned family values.
“It’s the culture that we brought to the team,” he said, when asked to explain Leicester’s improvement.
“It’s the Thai culture. We give our time to the staff, the players, and to the manager. We try to manage it like a family, try to listen to the problems of every single member of staff.”
The owners have avoided supporters’ animosity that marked some foreign forays into English soccer, including the purchase of Manchester United by the Glazers from the United States.
Another wealthy Thai, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, took over Manchester City between 2007 and 2008.
Although he reportedly sold it at a profit, his involvement was cut short and he was sentenced to prison for graft. Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile and maintains his innocence.
There have also been canny player signings and managerial appointments at Leicester, whose success has helped it make up ground on traditional soccer powerhouses in Thailand.
On the rooftop of a Bangkok shopping complex during Leicester’s recent match against Liverpool, about 200 people gathered to follow the game.
“I’m very proud to see them grow to this level,” said 39-year-old Tanaporn Meesrisom, who was in the crowd.
“The fan base will definitely grow. I used to be a Liverpool fan, but now I’m rooting for Leicester to win the championship.”
Self-made man
According to an interview last year in a local luxury magazine, Vichai, one of Thailand’s top 10 richest men, studied in Taiwan and the United States as a child.
His interest in the duty free business began during his school days in Taiwan, because flights back to Thailand stopped over in Hong Kong.
“As I grew up I saw duty free businesses from all over the world. I found it an interesting business … so I said to myself I might be able to do it,” Vichai told Praew Magazine.
He began as an agent for luxury brands before investing in a duty free business in Hong Kong that he eventually acquired.
According to Praew, he developed contacts at home and won lucrative concessions to run duty free shops from Airports of Thailand, the mainstay of his private company.
The country’s king bestowed on Vichai and his family a new surname, an act seen as a great honour in the Southeast Asian country where the monarch is highly revered.
Vichai’s passion for sport, particularly polo and soccer, led him to England and a shirt sponsorship with Leicester City. He came then to acquire the club for a reported 39 million pounds.
“The day that we bought the team, I can say that we made a 30-minute decision,” said Aiyawatt. “It’s something that we love. We went to the stadium, and we loved the crowd.”
The first big leap for the club and its owners came in 2014, with promotion to the top division after a 10-year absence.
“Money-wise, that would only come when we were in the Premier League so we pushed a lot of money, time and effort to make it happen,” Aiyawatt recalled.
An equally tough test will be to turn this season’s early form into more lasting success for Leicester and rivals who have sprung surprises and added to the League’s appeal.
“The nature of this season’s Premier League has led to a number of international companies taking greater interest in clubs outside the established elite, which I’m sure will present opportunities those clubs can seek to maximise,” said commercial director Flanagan.
“Whether this trend continues in future seasons remains to be seen.”
Source TTN
Suarez winner helps Barca sink nine-man Atletico
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored the goals as Barcelona came from behind to beat nine-man Atletico Madrid 2-1 at the Nou Camp on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash that sent them three points clear in La Liga.
Atletico went ahead in the 10th minute through Koke but Messi equalised for Barca following a fine team move on the half hour.
Suarez struck his 31st goal in as many games after 38 minutes and a wild challenge from Filipe Luis on Messi earned the Atletico defender a red card before halftime.
Diego Godin was also sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a mistimed tackle on Suarez midway through the second half.
“We knew it would be a difficult game and we are happy with three points against a direct opponent,” keeper Claudio Bravo told reporters.
“There is still a long way to go in the championship. We are going well at the moment in all the tournaments and it is good to get a win even though we were not at our best.”
Barcelona moved on to 51 points, three ahead of Atletico, and have a game in hand.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone opted to play five in midfield with Antoine Griezmann the lone striker.
It meant they were able to outnumber Barcelona in the middle of the pitch early on and they threatened immediately with Bravo stretching to block a Saul Niguez strike.
Koke was then given space to stroke the ball home in the centre of the area from a Saul cross.
Gradually Barca began to impose themselves, with Suarez having a shot blocked by keeper Jan Oblak after a good passing move and they again probed the defence before Jordi Alba picked out Messi for the equaliser.
Atletico were sloppy defensively as Suarez latched onto a simple ball over the top by Alves and beat Oblak too easily from a tight angle.
The visitors’ chance of a comeback were hit by a knee high studs up challenge by Filipe Luis on Messi that saw him dismissed.
Still Atletico pushed forward after the break and Griezmann was unlucky with a shot that came back off Bravo, who knew little about it, before heads began to drop after Godin’s dismissal.
A second half Bruno Soriano penalty gave Villarreal a 1-0 victory over Granada that put them level on 44 points with third-placed Real Madrid, who face Espanyol on Sunday.
Jean-Sylvain Babin pulled back Roberto Soldado in the area and Soriano sent keeper Andres Fernandez the wrong way with his spot kick after 54 minutes.
Elsewhere, an Inaki Williams header gave Athletic Bilbao a 1-0 victory at Getafe, Xabi Prieto and Inigo Martinez were on target for Real Sociedad in a 2-1 win over Real Betis, and Eibar fell 2-1 at home to Malaga.
Source TTN
VN football star Cong Phuong gets more time to recover
Japanese-Mito Hollyhock FC have granted Vietnamese striker Nguyen Cong Phuong an extra month to recover from his injury.
Phuong suffered a collar-bone injury during Viet Nam’s 2-3 defeat against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last Group D match of the Asian U23 Football Championship on January 21.
He underwent immediate surgery in Qatar. His injury is estimated to take up to two months to heal.
Because of the injury, Phuong returned Viet Nam after the rest of the team. He will go back to his hometown in Nghe An to rest for a short spell and enjoy the Lunar New Year holiday.
Phuong will arrive in Japan only a few days before the beginning of J-League 2, which kicks-off in late February 2016.
The Vietnamese national will play for the Japanese club this year on loan.
Vietnam target quarterfinals at AFC Futsal Finals
Vietnam’s futsal team, coached by Spaniard Bruno Garcia, departed for Uzbekistan on January 27 to participate in the finals of the 2016 AFC Championships, taking place in the East Asian country from February 10 to 21.
As planned, Vietnamese players will have 12 days to adapt to the weather condition in Uzbekistan as well as make last-minute preparations for the final stage.
During this period, Vietnam is set to play a friendly match against the hosts on February 1 and China five days later.
The AFC Finals will see 16 qualified teams compete in four groups of four, with Vietnam placed in Group C, alongside Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Tajikistan.
Participants will play in a round robin tournament, with the top two teams from each group advancing into the knock-out round.
The top five teams of the AFC finals will qualify for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, scheduled for next September in Colombia, as the AFC representatives. This also means that the four semifinalists will secure direct tickets to Colombia, while the remaining slot will be available for contention among the four quarterfinal losers.
Vietnam is targeting to book a quarterfinal berth before striving to make the top five, realising their dream of attending the World Cup in Colombia.
The team will meet Chinese Taipei on February 11 before taking on the remaining group opponents, Tajikistan and Thailand on February 13 and 15 respectively.
After firing Miura, VN Football Federation seeks a local coach
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF, which has been looking for a new coach for the Vietnam national team, plans to introduce the new coach after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The national team of Vietnam will play the two remaining games against Taiwan and Iraq in the 2018 World Cup qualifying round in March. Thus, it is urgent that the VFF find a new coach for the team.
This year, Vietnam will also participate in the AFF Cup so it is very important for the national team to have a coach soon to prepare for the tournament.
Moreover, to realize its ambition of being the 2017 SEA Games champion, the VFF has to seek a good coach.
Most of the members of the VFF Executive Board agreed to recruit a domestic coach. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training, the VFF’s governing body, supported the idea.
Among domestic candidates, the most prominent face is former coach of Song Lam Nghe An FC – Nguyen Huu Thang.
After leaving Song Lam Nghe An in 2014, Thang focused on studying to prepare for the future. He has turned down the invitation of many FCs, including Thanh Hoa and Binh Duong.
The former player of the Vietnam national team said if he has a choice, he will give priority to Song Lam Nghe An, his hometown FC. Recently Thang returned to his old team as the technical manager.
However, in a recent interview, Thang said it would be a great honor for anyone to become the coach of the national team.
The 2nd top candidate is coach Le Huynh Duc. Professionally, Duc is among the best coaches in Vietnam but his career at SHB Da Nang FC is gong well now, so joining the national team may not be his priority.
Other domestic coaches considered as candidates are Hoang Anh Tuan, Nguyen Van Sy, and Tran Cong Minh.
Neymar fined US$112,000 for Brazil tax evasion
Barcelona star Neymar on Thursday lost an appeal against a US$112,000 fine slapped on him for tax evasion during his years with Santos in 2007 and 2008.
The appeal decision confirmed the Brazilian financial authorities’ sanction handed down originally in 2012 for irregularities in his income tax declaration, the tax service said.
The case also involved the player’s father although the fine is unlikely to perturb the Brazilian star too much as he reportedly earns around US$215,000 a week at European champions Barcelona.
Neymar is also embroiled in legal action in Spain where he has been ordered to give evidence on Feb 2 for alleged fraud surrounding his transfer to the Catalan giants from Santos in 2013.
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his predecessor Sandro Rosell, Neymar’s parents and two directors of Santos have also been called to appear.
Spanish public prosecutors filed for action to be taken against all the parties after a complaint of fraud and corruption was launched by the Brazilian investment fund DIS, which held 40 percent of Neymar’s sporting rights when he played at Santos, at the court in June 2015.
DIS has claimed it was cheated of its real share of the benefits of the 23-year-old’s transfer because part of the fee was concealed by Barcelona and Santos.
The deal was originally valued at €57.1 million (US$62.1 million) by the Catalan club, €40 million (US$44 million) of which was paid to the N&N company owned by the player’s father with Santos receiving just €17.1 million (US$18.7 million).
However, Spanish judicial authorities have estimated the amount to be at least €83.3 million (US$91.1 million).
DIS received €6.8 million (US$7.7 million) out of the total €17.1 million (US$18.7 million) that Barcelona paid to Santos, but claims it may also be due a share of the overall transfer payments.
Source AFP
Upbeat Van Gaal denies ‘resignation’
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal thanked executive vice chairman Ed Woodward for his support on Thursday (Jan 28) as he denied reports he had offered to resign.
Van Gaal has faced a trying week following the home defeat by Southampton which saw the Old Trafford crowd turn on the veteran Dutch manager.
But Woodward has been steadfast in his support of van Gaal, who has 18 months remaining on his contract, and appears determined to keep him in place until at least the end of the season.
Reports suggested van Gaal had even offered to resign following the Southampton setback and that Jose Mourinho had been increasingly put forward as a potential replacement should United decide to make a change.
But van Gaal’s position appears safe for the time being, although he conceded that the unwavering support of Woodward and the board bring with it a greater level of pressure.
“It is fantastic of course, but that also gives you a lot of pressure,” he told a news conference on Thursday.
“When the board has such confidence, the pressure is much higher than when they say it is your last game or something like that,” said van Gaal, speaking ahead of Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie away to second-tier Derby County.
“When your confidence is not so high, you can fight against it. When you can fight, you have bigger motivation than when they support you. But I am always fighting.”
Van Gaal’s fighting spirit has certainly been tested to the full of late. United have fallen well out of title contention and now look to be struggling even to secure a top four finish and, with it, an all-important place in the Champions League.
But van Gaal insisted that, contrary to reports, he had never offered to resign. “I have not mentioned that, ever,” he said. “This is the third time that I have been ‘sacked’ and I am still sitting here for you. I have always faced this (scrutiny).”
Van Gaal also appeared far more upbeat, and defiant, than had been the case following the Southampton defeat when he apologised to United supporters.
“It is always like that when you lose a game, certainly in the last minute, that you are fed up,” he said. “How we have played is not always the main issue because you can play badly and win. When that happens, you are not so fed up.
“But we have played very well and lost, like Chelsea away last season, so when that happens you are more fed up than ever. It is your duty as a manager and a player to stand up again and do what you do because that is a professional attitude,” he insisted.
Source AFP
FA chairman Dyke to stand down
Greg Dyke announced on Thursday (Jan 28) he would not seek re-election for another term as chairman of England’s governing Football Association.
Dyke had initially said he would stand for a further year in office but opposition to proposed reforms from some FA councillors and a minority of board members led to a change of mind.
The outspoken 68-year-old former director-general of the BBC said “more of a conciliatory figure than me” would be needed to lead the FA after the campaign to reform of the notoriously bureaucratic organisation through the FA Council.
Dyke will now leave the FA later this year. Dyke read a prepared statement to the FA board on Thursday saying: “I had already decided that if no reform was possible I was going to leave anyway this summer.
“What I now see is that even if we get the reform through (which will be a difficult and divisive process although essential), I am probably not the best person to pick up the pieces following the inevitable discord.”
Dyke has been FA chairman since July 2013. He was a fierce critic of the way FIFA, football’s global governing body, was run under Sepp Blatter and also tried to pursue policies aimed at increasing the number of English players in the Premier League.
He made headlines when his throat-slitting gesture when England were drawn in the same group for the 2014 World Cup as Italy and Uruguay was caught on camera. It proved prophetic, with Roy Hodgson’s side crashing out in the first round in Brazil.
Source AFP
