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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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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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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While the World Cup has been going on in our back yard the English FA quietly announced the preliminary fixture list for the 2010 / 11 season, set to start in August. The opening weekend starts off with a bang when Arsenal take on Liverpool at Anfield and Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester City.
Quite who pitches up for the Arsenal and Liverpool match is anyone’s guess at this stage what with the World Cup holding up transfer dealings and all. For Arsenal, a mass exodus of central defenders is underway. Senderos has left for West London to play for Fulham, while Gallas seems to have decided that Italian football would suit his ageing legs. The futures of Campbell and Sylvestre are also yet to be decided. The Cesc to Barcelona stories may turn out to be true with the player now expressing his admiration for coach Pep Guardiola. Liverpool, meanwhile, are set to appoint Roy Hodgson as their new manager and will no doubt look to implement some changes in personalle as the Reds look to return to their former days of glory. Central to this endeavour will be the retention of key players, namely Torres and Gerrard. No matter who takes to the field we are guaranteed a storming match, Arsenal fans taking comfort in the knowledge that a certain diminutive Russian looks set for another season in North London.
The Tottenham and Manchester City match will be of great importance to both sides as they get their campaigns for Champions League qualification underway. The corresponding fixture last season proved this with Tottenham taking the coveted fourth spot in the final weeks of the season. No doubt Manchester City will make some big money signings, probably taking their riches to the best performing players of the World Cup. Tottenham will also be dealing with a congested fixture list, their Champions League debut requiring a tricky qualification round with an opponent yet to be decided.
With the forthcoming season set to be Sir Alex’s last in charge, the Red Devil’s will begin their quest to overtake Liverpool as the top division’s leading champions against the returning Newcastle. Chelsea begins their title defence in earnest against West Brom, a relatively easy start for the Blues. The full fixture list is available here.
Pic : News of the world
Manchester United and Portugal winger Nani will not participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to a left shoulder injury.
“After tests we concluded he is unfit to participate in the World Cup,” it said. Nani picked up the injury in training on Friday in Lisbon before flying to South Africa.
The winger had missed the squad’s final home training session in Portugal on Saturday after falling while attempting an acrobatic shot and causing a traumatism in his shoulder.
During the flight to Johannesburg he had been confident he would recover in time.
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed that he would like to become a top-class manager in the future.
The 24-year-old was speaking as he collected the 2010 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award.
Rooney topped the poll of journalists with just over 81 per cent of a record number of votes cast, finishing ahead of Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez to win the prestigious accolade, which has been running since 1948.
Both United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and England coach Fabio Capello were present to watch Rooney receive his award at the FWA’s Barclays-sponsored gala dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on Thursday night.
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Manchester United will wait until after the World Cup to start negotiations with Wayne Rooney to extend his contract for a further five years.
Rooney will head to South Africa as part of Fabio Capello’s England squad and if he is a success, his value and wage demands could increase considerably.
The 24-year-old still has two seasons remaining on his current £90,000-a-week contract and any new deal is likely to make him the highest paid player at Old Trafford. England captain Rio Ferdinand is United’s top earner, on £110,000-a-week, but a strong World Cup for Rooney could lead to a salary well in excess of that figure.
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted that some senior players might exit the team in the summer as he looks to next season.
Ferguson has not completely given up on landing a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
However, the Scot does accept his side are in need of improbable assistance from neighbours Wigan and the situation looks “bleak”.
Yet even if United somehow overturn the odds and become the first team to win four consecutive championships, Ferguson feels changes in personnel are inevitable.
“You have to take a decision about where we can improve the team,” Ferguson told MUTV.
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Chelsea and Manchester United both held their nerve on Sunday to win their respective games in the English Premier League.
United beat Sunderland 1-0 just hours after leaders Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-0 leaving Sir Alex Ferguson’s defending champions to head into the final weekend a point beind Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Chelsea can win the title for the first time since 2006 if they beat Wigan at home on Sunday.
But United will retain the crown, and claim a record 19th English championship, if the Blues drop points and Ferguson’s men beat Stoke at Old Trafford.
At Anfield, Ancelotti’s side enjoyed an easy ride thanks to Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, whose poor back-pass allowed Didier Drogba to open the scoring in the first half before Frank Lampard struck after the interval.
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Sir Alex Ferguson will vacate his post as Manchester United manager in 2011.
According to British newspaper The Sun, Manchester United have begun the search for their next manager after Ferguson told the board “One more season and I’m out”.
Former Chelsea manager and current Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho is the favourite to take over one of the most high-profile jobs in world football, with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola and current England manager Fabio Capello also reportedly on the Manchester United radar.
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