Chelsea striker Didier Drogba underwent surgery to his groin which will sideline him for 3 weeks. He will most probably miss the Community Shield clash with Manchester United and their Premier League opener.
The Ivory Coast international, who was troubled by the groin problem during Chelsea’s Premier League and FA Cup double-winning campaign last season, successfully had “minimal invasive surgery” on Friday, the club said on their website (www.chelseafc.com) Saturday.
The 32-year-old is expected to return to full training in three weeks meaning he will miss the Aug. 8 Wembley clash with United and possibly the beginning of their league title defence at home to West Bromwich Albion on Aug. 14.
Source: sport24.co.za
Malaysian clerics said on Wednesday that Muslims must not wear the Manchester United jersey because of the ‘devil’ on it’s team crest.
Manchester United and the rest of the English Premier League are massively popular in Muslim-majority Malaysia and the rest of the Asian region, but conservative religious scholars said the jersey is un-Islamic.
Also off limits are the shirts of teams including Brazil, Portugal, Barcelona, Serbia and Norway, all of which carry images of the cross on their team emblems.
“This is very dangerous. As a Muslim, we should not worship the symbols of other religions or the devils,” Nooh Gadot, a top Islamic cleric from the southern Johor state, said.
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Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is set to miss the start of the Premier League season after tearing a calf muscle in training. This is the second time this year the Czech Republic’s Play of the Year has suffered this injury.
A spokesman for Chelsea said: “Scans have shown Petr Cech has torn a calf muscle in his right leg and he is expected to be out for a month.”
Hilario, a more than capable keeper, is set to take his place while Ross Turnbull will also be hoping for a chance to shine.
Source : Chelsea FC
Tottenham Hotspur led the way in the English Premier League by banning vuvuzelas from White Hart Lane because it poses ‘a risk to public safety’.
The Premier League club banned the long plastic horns, which were a major talking point at the World Cup in South Africa, after consulting police and licensing authorities.
“We are concerned that the presence of the instruments within the stadium pose unnecessary risks to public safety and could impact on the ability of all supporters to hear any emergency safety announcements,” the London club said on Monday.
“We’re very proud of the fantastic atmosphere our supporters produce organically at White Hart Lane,” Spurs added in a statement on their website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com).
Source: supersport.co.za
Andrey Arshavin is reportedly close to extending his current contract at Arsenal by another year. The diminutive Russian joined the Gunners in January 2009 from Russian club Zenit for an estimated £ 15 million. The Russian has scored 18 times for the North Londoners, including all four goals in Anfield triller. The extension will see Arshavin stay at the club until 2013.
In other Arsenal related news, William Gallas and Mikael Sylvestre are expected to leave the club. “At the moment none of them have signed again for us,” Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online. “At the moment there is nothing special to say about that. I believe that Gallas and Silvestre will sign somewhere else. Campbell is still in no-man’s land at the moment.”
Pic : The Telegraph
Liverpool beat Tottenham and Arsenal off in the race to sign 28-year old Joe Cole on a free transfer.
Joe Cole’s contract ended with Chelsea this summer.
Joe is to undergo a medical before the transfer is completed, but he is set to sign a four year deal at Anfield. It is believed that Liverpool have been tracking the player for the last few months, watching to see if he would sign an extension with Chelsea.
A statement from Liverpool FC reads:
‘Liverpool FC are delighted to confirm the signing of Joe Cole on a four-year deal.
‘The England midfielder has agreed personal terms with the Reds and will undergo a medical in the next 48 hours.
‘Cole becomes the club’s second signing of the summer after Milan Jovanovic.
With Yossi Benayoun having travelled in the opposite direction earlier this month, this deal can be seen as a direct replacement.
In the past two seasons Joe has made 39 Premier League appearances, and has scored 4 times.
Source: anfield-online.co.uk
No sooner has the World Cup ended and the pre-season for the English clubs has begun. Most sides are without some of their World Cup stars as they take a well-deserved break, but the modern squad sizes don’t allow for a lack of talent.
The champions Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 1-0 thanks to a solitary goal from Michael Essien. The Ghanian is back from a lengthy lay-off that saw him miss the Word Cup this year. Carlo Ancelloti said, ‘It was an important return, he came back very well and played very well. He is a fantastic player, we missed him last season and we hope he can do the best for this season’. Their next match is against Ajax in the Amsterdam Arena.
Manchester United is currently on tour in North America and kicked off against Celtic in Chicago on Saturday. Berbatov opened the scoring with some fine finishing in the first half, reds’ fans hoping the Bulgarian is making the start of a glorious season at Old Trafford. Much is expected of the smooth operator this year. New boy Chris Smalling did not make the best of starts for the reds as he gave away a penalty that allowed Samaras to level for the bouys. Manchester United was able to finish strongly as Danny Welbeck and Darren Odea scored in the final quarter of the match, leaving the score at 3-1. The Red Devils have three more matches on the tour; they will be taking on Philadelphia Union, Kansas City Wizards and the MLS All-Stars. You can see the full fixture list here.
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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti says Ashley Cole will stay at the English Premier League Club next season.
Ancelotti told Chelsea’s website that Cole “will be an important player for us next season. One hundred percent.”
The Italian was responding to speculation linking the England left back with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, Media reports have claimed Cole is a target for Spanish side Real Madrid, whose new coach Jose Mourinho used to manage the defender at Chelsea.
Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea last season, also said he would not be looking to add another striker to his squad for the new campaign.
Liverpool’s Spain international Fernando Torres has been linked with a move to Chelsea.
Source: supersport.co.za
England striker Wayne Rooney will only pay nominal damages to his former agents Proactive after an attempt to sue him for $6.6m.
Rooney will have to pay only a “restitutional remedy” amounting to around $138 227 following the ruling into his court battle with the sports management firm.
Rooney and his wife Coleen had been taken to court by Proactive, who claimed the couple had withheld the commission on multi-million dollar deals brokered during the time they represented him.
The 24-year-old made no payments after football agent Paul Stretford, a director and founder of Proactive, left the firm in October 2008 – taking with him Rooney and the revenue his fame generated.
Rooney was signed by Stretford for Proactive in 2002 when he was still playing for Everton and the teenage striker quickly garnered multi-million sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola and EA Sports.
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Liverpool confirmed yesterday that the Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic have been signed for three years by the Merseyside Club.
The 29-year-old forward was one of Serbia’s star performers at the World Cup, scoring the winner in a shock win over Germany. He penned a three-year deal at Melwood today before meeting some of his new teammates.
He said: “It is an honour for me to sign for one of the biggest clubs in football.
“I cannot wait to start working with the manager and I’m looking forward to joining up with my new teammates on our Swiss training camp.”
Jovanovic spent the previous four years at Standard Liege, where he won Belgian Footballer of the Year in 2008 and the Golden Shoe in 2009.
Source: liverpoolfc.tv
