West Ham snap up pair of forwards

West Ham manager Avram Grant has strengthened his attack with the signings of Mexico winger Pablo Barrera and Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne.

Barrera, 23, arrives for a fee of £4m on a four-year deal from UNAM Pumas after impressing during the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Piquionne, who played for Grant on loan at Portsmouth last season, has signed a three-year contract at Upton Park.

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England eye homegrown coach after Capello era

England are poised to appoint a homegrown coach when the reign of Italy’s Fabio Capello comes to an end.

Sir Trevor Brooking, the Football Association’s director of development, said on Friday that the mood within the governing body is to have an English manager.

“I think longer term, after Fabio, we’d like to go English,” Brooking told the BBC.
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WC2010SPH | News | News Detail Local | Sex lives not affected by World Cup matches

PETALING JAYA: Staying up late to catch the World Cup has apparently not taken a toll on the sex lives of Malaysians - this was among the findings of The Star-Adidas Loudest Noise Survey.

Only 2% of those who answered "Yes" said they quarrelled with their spouse or partner because of the World Cup telecasts and 1% said their sex life was affected.
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Dutch coach dismisses final talk as premature

On the eve of the Netherlands’ World Cup semi-final, Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk insisted he is focused solely on beating Uruguay on Tuesday and dismissed any talk about the final as premature.


Holland last reached a World Cup final in 1978 and are overwhelming favourites to beat the South Americans at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium to book their berth at Johannesburg’s Soccer City for Sunday’s final.

But van Marwijk baulked when asked if his side are set to fulfill their potential by winning a first World Cup title.

“I really don’t want to talk about the final,” he said. “I have been hearing this talk much too often, first we have to play a semi-final.

“I have immense respect for what players in the past have achieved for the Netherlands, but I didn’t come to this tournament to wring my hands at reaching the final. That isn’t enough, we have come here to win the final.

“We have come here for the ultimate prize, that is our goal and we will only enjoy this tournament if we win it.”

Holland have not always produced their trademark flowing football in South Africa, but van Marwijk says he has insisted his team concentrate on results and show no sign of the arrogance they may have displayed in the past.

“I can’t change a culture, but I have worked hard to create an environment to make the players realise that if you want to achieve something in a tournament, you need to focus solely on the next match and not think ahead.

“When we do well, we tend to get a bit arrogant after we have won a game, but the players have really understood that and it has been the basis of our preparation against Uruguay.”

Holland are widely tipped to make their third appearance in a World Cup final, but van Marwijk is wary of Uruguay.

“They are a very dangerous team,” he said of Oscar Tabarez’s side.

“At the start of the tournament, I used them as example of a passionate side and it is not for nothing that they have come this far.”

While Holland were the underdogs before their 2-1 quarter-final win over Brazil, van Marwijk says he has no problems being the favourites against Uruguay, but will pay the tag little attention.

“In the group phase, we were always the favourite, never the underdog,” he said.

“Against Brazil, it was the other way around, I don’t really have an opinion on that, we just want to concentrate on ourselves.

“We don’t want to be misled or distracted by people thinking we are the favourites.”

Tabarez: History adds no pressure

The weight of history will not burden Uruguay in their semi-final according to coach Oscar Tabarez

The South American nation hosted the inaugural Fifa World Cup and triumphed on home soil back in 1930.

The men from Montevideo then had to endure an agonising 20 year wait before even qualifying again, but remarkably went on to lift the trophy for a second time when Brazil played hosts in 1950.

Uruguay's current side are exceeding most people's expectations, after 40 years in the doldrums, but Tabarez is still refusing to pay heed to past glories.

"The thing is, because of our history, there's always a lot expected of Uruguay," he explained.

"And given that at previous tournaments we've not lived up to those expectations, a performance like this year's stands out even more.

"We'd prefer not to be compared to the teams from 1930 and 1950 but, we're still in with a chance of matching their feats.

"So, of course, I understand why back home people see this as our most important game in decades, but I don't see that as added pressure."

Celeste striker Sebastian Abreu also revealed that Tabarez has been busy scheming to halt Arjen Robben.

The Netherlands star could be a key weapon for Bert Van Marwijk's men when they face Uruguay in Cape Town on July 6, but Abreu says their preparations are well under way.

"Tabarez has been talking to us about Robben and how to stop a player like him," he said.

"It's always different on the field, but we know how to do it, but whether the actual execution comes off is another thing.

"Tabarez has asked us to concentrate fully, not just in the matches but also in training and he is very satisfied with our work.

"We are among the best four teams in this World Cup," he added. "This is something we never would have imagined before coming to South Africa."

Ghana boss proud despite defeat

There was pride in defeat for Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac after his side's World Cup dream was shattered by Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out.

The winning spot-kick was converted in audacious style by Uruguay's Sebastian Abreu after Diego Forlan had cancelled out Sulley Muntari's first-half opener.

"The whole of Africa supported us," said Rajevac. "We didn't deserve to lose this way.

"It's difficult, but we're proud of what we achieved".

Ghana were bearing the hopes of a continent and the weight of a history showing that no African side has ever made it beyond the last eight of the World Cup.

Yet they twice looked poised to eclipse the achievements of Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.

Ghana's first glimpse of glory, which came when Muntari fired in from 35 yards in first-half injury time, was snuffed out by Forlan's 55th-minute equaliser.

Their second came in the dying moments of extra time, when Luis Suarez handled on the line and the referee, Olegario Benquerenca awarded Ghana a penalty.

As Africa held its collective breath, Asamoah Gyan stepped up, but could only skim the crossbar with his spot-kick.

"I think we had more opportunities than our opponents, but that's football," added Rajevac, the wily Serbian who has sought to add European pragmatism to Ghana's natural flair.

"We really had good support and it would have been a fairytale, but I would like to congratulate Uruguay. I'm very proud."

Ghana defender John Pantsil warned Gyan not to let the spot-kick miss have a long-term affect on his future.

"We said to Asamoah that anyone can miss a penalty and it is part of football and it was the only mistake he made," said the Fulham defender.

"In fact, it was not a mistake at all. It is part of football and he kicked it from his heart and we all wanted to win the game. We have been talking to him. He is feeling bad about that. It is not easy just to forget about something like that.

"As his team-mates, we have to keep him with us and talk to him about it so he can forget about it as soon as possible.

"He is a young lad and, if he continues to think about it, it is going to affect him.

"We will make sure that he will get through this. He is a good fellow and very disciplined and always wants to win the game so we believe in him and we trust in him."

Gyan atoned for his mistake almost immediately, driving home Ghana's first penalty to make it 1-1 after Forlan had converted Uruguay's opening spot-kick.

John Mensah, the Ghana captain, subsequently missed to leave Uruguay with a 3-2 cushion, but Uruguay defender Maximiliano Pereira followed suit to raise African hopes once more.

Dominic Adiyiah's penalty was then saved by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, however, and Ghana's hopes were once again left hanging by a thread - one which was promptly severed by Abreu, triggering scenes of heartbreak.

"It has been a very difficult moment," stated Kwesi Nyantakyi, the president of the Ghana Football Association, in a television interview. "Our boys played very well, beautiful football.

"If it was meant for us, less than a second to go, we would have won the match. It has been a terrible moment for the entire continent, not just for our nation."

Story from BBC SPORT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8785207.stm

Published: 2010/07/02 23:20:33 GMT

© BBC MMX

Can Paraguay do it again?

Coach Gerrardo Martino hopes the underdog can prevail yet again when his side meet Spain in the quarter-finals

The La Albirroja coach is hoping his side can beat Spain for the first time in the side's history.

But having already defied its own history by reaching the quarter final stage for the first time at a World Cup, Martino has no fears his side can do it again....Cont

Can Sneijder and co. go one better than Cruyff’s masters?

Can Sneijder and co. go one better than Cruyff’s masters?
Holland’s 2-1 victory over Brazil on Friday afternoon put them into a very winnable semi-final over either Uruguay or Ghana.

The Dutch showed good fighting spirit to get back into the quarter-final, by coming back from a goal down with a stroke of luck....Cont

Soccer babe born again as a true fan -China Daily/Asia News Network

After travelling to South Africa, she announced that she no longer wants to be known as a soccer babe and will not pose for any more sexy photos. -China Daily/ANN

CHINA - "Please! Don't call me a soccer babe anymore," shouted Liu Wenwen, who was crowned the prettiest football babe in China during a beauty contest sponsored by CCTV. The stunner, who is featured in hundreds of Internet photos, is known as a beautiful woman capable of heating up an audience with her mini-skirts and attractive face.

But Liu is hoping people will concentrate on her football knowledge and not her physical charm.

Liu, 27, traveled to Beijing from Wuhan in 2006. She has been developing a love of sports since she was a 15-year-old middle school student.

During the 1998 World Cup, Liu was a huge fan of the talented Italian footballer Roberto Baggio and saved every cent of her pocket money to purchase products related to him.

She even picked up her pen and started to draw pictures of football players.

Since then, she has drawn pictures of several football players, including David Beckham, Batistuta and lots of Roberto Baggio.

Liu mailed one of her pictures to Baggio in 1998 and, after several months, she got Baggio's reply.

"I mailed a caricature of Baggio to him and expressed my feelings about him in my letter," Liu said, "I did not expect his reply, after all he is so far away, so I was so excited to receive it."

Baggio's reply was written in Italian and Liu said that she kept the letter for 12 years before she knew what he had written. Recently, Liu attended a TV program and the host organized for the letter to be translated.

"He thanked me for supporting him and said he would play harder on the field, but when I knew this, he had already retired from the field for six years," Liu said.

Over the years, Liu has dug more deeply into football.

She spent 20,000 yuan (S$4,132) to go to South Africa for 10 days from June 4 to June 14 to watch the first match of the 2010 World Cup. She said it was her dream to watch such a match and was moved by the action on the field.

"I almost wanted to cry because my dream had finally came true and people around me cheered emotionally for the team they supported," Liu said.

Liu said she refused earplugs, which were offered to fans free of charge to protect their ears from the noise of the horns that reverberated throughout the stadium.

After the trip, Liu announced that she no longer wants to be known as a soccer babe and said she will not pose for any more sexy photos.

"Most soccer babes in China are not qualified and they do not love the game. Many do not even know the basic rules and spirit of the sport," Liu said. "I am different from them because I am really a football fan."

Liu said most soccer babes in China take the title as a platform to develop their modeling careers.

Although she works as a model and poses for magazine photos, Liu insisted that she now wants to be described as a freelancer because of articles she has written during the World Cup in a newspaper and for a website.

Liu said she depends on her income from writing to support her life in Beijing. She added that her first book is now being edited.

"It is fortunate that I can work on my favorite things, writing and football," Liu said.

As a young woman, Liu said frankly, her favorite team was Italy because it had so many handsome players. She says she now likes many other European teams, including Spain and the Netherlands, which she supports because of their teamwork.

"I would like to see the Spanish team become champions," she said, "I believe in their capability and we need a new world champion."

Dutch boss calms hopes of classic

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has warned that Friday's World Cup quarter-final against Brazil might not be the feast of football some expect.

The last-eight clash in Port Elizabeth brings together two nations famed for a free-flowing, attacking style of play.

But Van Marwijk insists the days of the Dutch Total Football against Brazil's traditional "samba" style are over.

"It was a long time ago, Total Football - if you play like that now it's very hard to win the Cup," said Van Marwijk.

"(The Netherlands') Total Football was back in 1974. We could play football very well for 20 or 30 years. It was Total Football, and I also remember Brazil's samba football.

"But sport changes and football changes also. It has to do with the fact everybody is getting fitter, better organised."

Even in the era of Total Football - where outfield players interchanged and were able to operate in any position as the situation dictated - the Netherlands did not win a World Cup, their best achievement at an international tournament being their 1988 European Championship triumph.

And Van Marwijk makes few apologies for curbing the Netherlands' traditional attacking philosophy, having vowed from the start of his reign that he would make the team more pragmatic.

The Dutchman took over from Marco van Basten following the Netherlands' quarter-final loss to Russia at Euro 2000, and commented that that side "gave away too many chances".

On Friday, he added: "I said when I started that I wanted to teach the team to defend."

Brazil boss Dunga, too, has attempted to rein in his side's traditional instincts to attack in numbers, angering many critics at home with an equally pragmatic style.

His selection of the likes of Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo - two more defensive players - in the centre of midfield, and his insistence the team defends as a whole from front to back without the ball has been labelled as "anti-football" in some sections of the Brazilian media.

However, he has steadfastly stuck to his guns, insisting: "We don't live on talent. We live on results."

Results support his philosophy, with Dunga having led Brazil to the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup leading up to the World Cup.

They are now unbeaten in South Africa and are many people's tip to not only dispatch the Netherlands but also emerge as outright winners of the Cup.

Dunga, despite the more responsible approach of both sides, is still predicting an entertaining encounter on Friday.

"They are always pretty matches," said the 46-year-old. "The teams always try to play. The players have quality, they do what we all like to see, try to dribble, take chances, use their creativity.

"They always go for the goal and for the victory. When two teams play like that the show is good."

However, Dunga did warn that "a lot of it has to do with the way the Netherlands play. If 20 players stay in one half it's going to be more difficult to score".

Dunga has, however, taken exception to Dutch legend Johan Cruyff's claims this week that he "would never pay for a ticket to watch the matches of this Brazilian team. Where is the Brazilian magic?".

"Without doubt I would pay (to see Brazil)," replied Dunga at a news conference on Thursday. "I like to see these games, as the players are very technically gifted.

"(Cruyff) must get free tickets from Fifa anyway, so he doesn't pay. He can see the matches he likes.

"We always want to play a more open game because that's more beautiful."

Brazil go into the match with something of a selection dilemma, with Elano ruled out with an ankle injury, Melo (ankle) and Julio Baptista (knee) doubtful and Ramires suspended.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, have a fully-fit squad from which to choose their XI after forward Rafael van der Vaart returned to training after a two-day absence with a calf injury.

And Van Marwijk is confident his side, who have won all four of their games in South Africa, can upset the odds and beat the samba boys.

"Brazil are favourites for the World Cup, but we've proven we can also beat this type of opponent," he said. "I am fully confident of that.

"My team are absolutely ready, you can sense their excitement. They know they are facing an important match and are fully focused.

"We're not afraid of them. We know Brazil are a good strong team with a number of weapons like speed and turning around a game, but I know we can win this match."

Dunga, unsurprisingly, is equally confident.

"Brazil doesn't depend on just a small group of players, but a whole collective," he said. "The entire team is important.

"If they all play up to expectations, we're going to get the results we're looking for."

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8781508.stm

Published: 2010/07/01 21:04:28 GMT

© BBC MMX

Wayne Rooney waxed his chest, failed at the World Cup - By Carter Daly

Just in case you hadn't heard, Wayne Rooney didn't have such a great World Cup. England's star striker finished with a less than impressive tally of zero goals in South Africa as the Three Lions crashed out of the tournament in the round of 16 after being "Muellered" by Germany. There have been many theories as to why Roo didn't quite perform up to his 34-goal Manchester United season for the English national team at the World Cup. Some say it was the crippling pressure and expectations from home, others say his injured ankle still wasn't quite right after a long season in all competitions with the Red Devils. Then there's the Daily Mail, which claims it's all down to Wayne's World Cup chest waxing:

As he trudged off the field after swapping shirts at Bloemfontein yesterday following the 4-1 annihilation by Germany that ended England's interest in the finals, he showed a chest devoid of hair.

Rooney is normally seen with a much hairier chest and for yesterday's match he had also abandoned his normal stubble for a clean-shaven look.

He looked tired, his first touch was poor and one wild shot on the run ended embarrassingly wide of the target.

Now, I haven't been paying particular attention to Wayne Rooney's body grooming habits, but I did find it a little peculiar that Roo was looking like an exhausted pasty seal-pup after exchanging his red England away shirt with the German enemy on sunday. Especially when you realize that he's been known to sport an epic neck-beard (a "neard") with a thickness resembling a ginger wool turtleneck. Who would have ever imagined Shrek to be so high maintenance?

I don't know if he went for a mani-pedi after that maintenence process or if he was simply just trying to increase his on-pitch aerodynamics, but Wayne wasn't quite the king of the jungle without his lion's mane in South Africa.

Next time embrace your manhood, Wayne, and if the press is to be believed the goals will be sure to follow.

Photo: Daily Mail