Snak

Cagna toma "un descanso" como DT

BUENOS AIRES -- Diego Cagna aseguró que fue él quien decidió dejar de dirigir en Tigre y que se apartará por ahora de la dirección técnica por considerar que en la Argentina "el fútbol se ha hecho muy cruel y muy sanguinario".

Cagna se despidió este miércoles del plantel, al que, dijo, no quiere "perjudicar", por lo cual optó por dejar la institución con la que fue dos veces subcampeón.

"El fútbol viene cambiando para mal en los últimos tiempos, se ha hecho muy sanguinario, muy cruel, con muchas presiones. Acá tras tres partidos hablan de echar a un técnico y antes eso no pasaba y no pasa en ninguna otra parte del mundo", lamentó Cagna.

Cagna, quien también dirigió en Chile, aseguró que "se hace difícil trabajar así y si algunos lo aceptan, como yo antes lo acepté, ya ahora no tengo ganas, no lo disfruto y no quiero perjudicar a los chicos", dijo.

Cagna no sólo dejó de dirigir a Tigre, sino que por ahora no ejercerá la profesión en el país.

"Para qué seguir sintiendo cosas que me hacen mal, que no me hacen bien", reflexionó y anunció que se tomará "un descanso".

"Después, si puedo disfrutarlo, volveré, pero veremos qué depara el destino", se despidió.

Racing: Saveljich entra por Ortiz

BUENOS AIRES -- El defensor Esteban Saveljich reemplazará al suspendido Fernando Ortiz en el equipo titular con el que Racing jugará ante Boca Juniors el domingo próximo en La Bombonera por la 7ª fecha del Torneo Inicial.

Por otra parte el entrenador Carlos Ischia aguardará la total recuperación de Agustín Pelletieri, quien este miércoles trabajó con normalidad, aunque no completó toda la actividad que llevó a cabo el resto del plantel.

Este es el probable equipo para jugar contra Boca Sebastián Saja, José Luis Gómez, Saveljich, Leonardo Miglónico, Matías Cahais; Diego Villar, Pelletieri, Luis Ibáñez, Rodrigo De Paul; Gabriel Hauche y Luciano Vietto.

Racing marcha último en el torneo sin haber ganado aún, con sólo dos puntos merced a dos empates y cuatro derrotas. Ischia debutó el sábado pasado con un empate 1-1 como local ante Lanús.

"Con Ischia se renovaron las expectativas, se vio otra cosa el fin de semana, no estábamos bien en la parte anímica. Hubo un cambio de actitud importante", señaló Vietto.

El delantero agregó que "siempre es una motivación jugar contra Boca, porque es un rival directo. Si me toca convertir no es muy importante, acá lo que queremos es que Racing sume los tres puntos".

Valentín Viola también tomó parte de la actividad, superó una molestia física, y jugó en el equipo de suplentes en el partido de práctica llevado a cabo este miércoles.

San Lorenzo busca un delantero

BUENOS AIRES -- A pedido del entrenador Juan Antonio Pizzi, la dirigencia de San Lorenzo tomó la decisión de sumar un refuerzo para reemplazar a su lesionado goleador Martín Cauteruccio, quien será intervenido la semana próxima por la rotura del ligamento anterior de la rodilla derecha.

El presidente del club, Matías Lammens, afirmó que Pizzi les "dijo que necesita un jugador para esa posición" porque están "cortos" de delanteros, pero avisó que se tomarán tiempo para definir el nombre ya que tienen "diez días para definir".

"Sobre el fin de esta semana iremos perfilando el nombre de los candidatos a llegar", expresó Lammens, y agregó: "Sinceramente, ninguna de las alternativas que existen están firmes todavía, queremos evaluar bien todas las posibilidades que tenemos".

El titular del club dijo que "cuando uno toma decisiones apresuradas, las posibilidades de equivocarse son más grandes", y por ello evaluarán bien antes de decidir.

Lammens, el manager Bernardo Romeo y Pizzi se reunieron en la noche del lunes por este tema pero primero la dirigencia quiere saber a qué debe atenerse por reglamento, ya que sólo le permitirían reforzarse con un argentino que esté libre o bien que llegue del exterior.

En tanto, Cauteruccio se irá de descanso a Uruguay en estos días y volverá la semana próxima para la operación en tanto tomó con calma la lesión que lo marginará de las canchas para el resto del año.

Sin saber cuál es la intención de la dirigencia, el oriental hizo fuerza para que sus reemplazantes sean los compañeros que hoy tiene en San Lorenzo.

"Tito ha entrado muchas veces por mí. El tiene características que yo no tengo, y es muy buen goleador. Pero tenemos otros tipos de delanteros como La Bruja", sostuvo Cauteruccio al rechazar que su ausencia sea un problema. Tito es Villalba, quien el domingo reemplazó al uruguayo e hizo el segundo gol ante Rosario Central. Y la Bruja es Gonzalo Verón, otro de los jugadores jóvenes de este San Lorenzo.

Para Cauteruccio, "hay potencial" en el plantel de San Lorenzo, e incluyó también a Ángel Correa.

Villalba también se refirió al grupo y los eventuales reemplazantes de su compañero lesionado: "Uno siempre tiene que estar preparado. Yo, como Verón, Correa, lo importante es tener un buen resultado la próxima semana" ante Godoy Cruz.

Golden generations are born, not made

The best place to start, as ever, is with Harry Hill. For those unfamiliar with his work, Harry Hill is a British comedian. He wears shirts with comically supersized collars, pairing them with hefty work boots and bookish spectacles. He used to be a doctor. His stand-up routine is vaguely slapstick, all funny looks and dreamlike non sequiturs.

He is most famous, though, for a TV show called Harry Hill´s "TV Burp." The program´s format was simple: clips from well-known television shows taken out of context and satirized to the point of absurdity. Characters with haircuts that looked like badgers, washing machines that seemed to be talking, gigantic squirrels fighting over-large hens: That was its meat and drink.

A favourite came from a documentary about fighter jets. You know the sort: they´re on minor cable channels late at night after "Ice Road Truckers" and have titles like "Battle of the Skies" and "Iron Birds: Weapons of War." They feature serious men, often with beards and no experience of a woman´s gentle touch, discussing engine capacity and radar systems. Anyway, the clip Harry Hill pulled out was about the stealth bomber. He cut away to a serious man with a beard and no experience of a woman´s gentle touch talking in awe about the plane´s potency. "The thing about the stealth bomber," he intoned, "is that you know when it´s coming."

This is relevant, 10 months or so before a World Cup, because this is the time when pundits, journalists and players alike start to pick out their dark horses for the tournament. You know, those teams that can match what Uruguay did two years ago, what Croatia managed in 1998 or even what Denmark and Greece achieved in the 1992 and 2004 European Championships.

This year, there are two obvious contenders. Belgium and Colombia both possess sides of fearsome quality. The former boast a phalanx of Premier League stars -- Simon Mignolet, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Christian Benteke, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas -- as well as the likes of Axel Witsel, Thibaut Courtois, Steven Defour and Dries Mertens. Colombia, meanwhile, have a quintet of Serie A regulars -- Juan Cuadrado, Luis Muriel, Pablo Armero, Camilo Zuniga and Fredy Guarin -- as well as James Rodriguez, Juan Quintero, David Ospina, Jackson Martinez and, oh, Falcao, that lad at Monaco who´s scored loads of goals.

The problem is that both are a bit like Harry Hill´s stealth bomber. Technically, they are clandestine, undercover and unknown. It´s just that, well, everyone knows they are coming. They are such widely tipped dark horses that they probably rank among the front-runners.

They are interesting examples, though, because between now and the start of the tournament in Brazil, they will no doubt be held up as prime examples of how good investment in youth can reap rewards on the international stage. In England, their success will be seen as a particularly damning indictment of our own failure to generate homegrown talent. That process has already started -- Belgium´s youth development specialists have already been invited to speak to the Football Association at St George´s Park. Perhaps a similar offer will be extended to Colombia.

Yet this kind of reaction illustrates a deep misunderstanding of what makes both these teams great. Belgium and Colombia have generated these teams more by accident than design. That is not my cockamamie opinion: Speak to those at the coalface and they will say the same.

"All of that team went away [from Belgium] early and they have made it." That´s what Stan van den Buijs, the former head of youth development at Beerschot -- the club which first brought Mousa Dembele, Vertonghen and Vermaelen to prominence, told The Times last year. "Belgium was not ready to maximise their abilities, so they had to go abroad."

Like Toby Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Vermaelen went to Ajax while Dembele moved to Willem II. Hazard and Mirallas spent their formative years at Lille, in France. Only the Standard Liege contingent -- Witsel, Fellaini and Steven Defour -- came through the ranks en masse at home.

It is the same story in Colombia. "Falcao left at 14 for River Plate and James Rodriguez left very young too," Juan Pablo Angel told The Times. "They have had access to all the things that athletes need to develop abroad, things they could not have had in Colombia." There was one measure introduced by the local FA to try to stimulate development -- an edict that every club had to name an under-20 player in their first XI -- but it was widely mocked by coaches who would play a teenager for the first five minutes, then remove them. The idea was soon rescinded.

This is instructive because it reveals a broader truth about the search for talent, and one that the FA would do well to heed. Golden generations, as they are termed, are arbitrary. They are born, not created.

In western Europe, there is a temptation to believe that a team capable of beating the world can be stimulated into existence at state-of-the-art facilities, and that providing young players with the best pitches, training techniques and coaches improves their abilities beyond all recognition.

Barcelona is often lauded for its player development, and rightly so. Yet many would argue the new crop isn´t nearly as good or deep as the class of Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

It all helps, of course, but flick through the game´s annals and there is abundant evidence that it is not necessary. The Portugal of Luis Figo and Rui Costa, the great Yugoslav side that never was, even England´s failed golden generation: They all came through at different clubs, in different areas and with different policies and differing quality of facility. This is no great revelation: There are no greater producers of natural talent than Argentina and Brazil, yet nobody would look at their youth systems with envy.

There are exceptions, of course. Barcelona´s La Masia structure and the academies at Ajax and Sporting Lisbon suggest that youth systems can be built to last. And yet these too endure their peaks and troughs, their prolific years and their fallow ones. Ajax have produced two great generations -- that of Johann Cruyff and that of Patrick Kluivert -- and while they deserve praise for keeping up a steady supply of talent, they´ve not managed to generate anything like an entire team again.

Barcelona are much the same: There are an abundance of gifted players in their youth system, but the likes of Isaac Cuenca, Cristian Tello, Martin Montoya and the rest are not of the quality of Xavi, Iniesta and the rest -- and certainly not of the quantity. Again, credit where it is due for rearing a steady stream of players, but it is delusional to pretend they can churn out Gerard Piques at will.

The other major counterpoint is Germany, but here the pattern is also similar. There are many fine young players to follow on from Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and the rest of them, but it is highly unlikely they will prove to be their equals even though it is admittedly too soon to be certain.

In this light, the FA´s determination to force through St George´s Park suggest quotas for English players in the Premier League and adapt the Elite Player Performance Plan looks foolhardy. There is no way of guaranteeing the creation of a World Cup-winning team. You simply have to hope for the best.

That is not to suggest there is nothing that can be done. The conditions must be created to allow those players to shine should they arrive. In the meantime, there is crucial work -- as much cultural as structural -- to ensure that the base level of English players improves to the point where they are as technically adept as their more exotic counterparts. England does need more coaches. It does need a more holistic system to bring players through. It does need a change in style of play and a switch in understanding of the game.

All of that work is vital and worthy of time, effort and money. But to assume that doing it will lead to victory, that glory can be forced into being, is indicative of a game -- and of a country -- that has not been paying attention.

´Dos a cero,´ Columbus style

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In Mexico, actions took place in sequence. Votive candles, harbingers of hope, were snuffed out. Tapers were lit, an unmistakable sign that a death had occurred.

The United States defeated Mexico 2-0. The home team put its hallmark on it. Mexico smells like dead meat. The United States has qualified while El Tri´s ranking means it has to win the remaining six points: against Panama in Azteca Stadium, where it has not won, and away against Costa Rica, in a venue that has been inaccessible for it in this qualifying round.

Mexico is not the master of its own fate. This Tuesday it is once again without a coach, with no chance of qualifying directly for the World Cup, and without much chance of getting to the playoff for the wild-card berth.

After a first half that offered false hopes, Mexico ended the game collapsing in bitter disappointment, a victim of its mistakes on defense, especially by goalie Jesus Corona, but also caused by its defenders´ lack of concentration.

The United States had several reasons to celebrate: It booked its ticket to the World Cup, it extended its winning streak over Mexico in Columbus, and in particular, it gave its arrogant rival of many years another slap, to retake its place (if it had ever lost it) as CONCACAF´s leader, which Costa Rica is now in turn haggling over.

Howard made the difference

Mexico displayed a change: in attitude. The fabulous, fascinating, captivating party in the stands, with a fantastic show featuring chants, rhythms and intensity didn´t make a mark on El Tri´s players.

It went missing on the field, with a team playing short, with no spaces, with short goal runs and passes on the rebound.

That was enough to stop the U.S., which remained true to its combative nature and tried to find its way, and the only risky attacks in the first half were generated by the confusion in the passes between Mier and Fernando Arce, and because Chaco Gimenez was late in arriving to provide support.

Mexico made ball possession its best resource. Besides that, it recovered the ball easily, by putting pressure on its rivals. And its response was to stroll across the field until they found an offensive opportunity. Generally, it was Giovani dos Santos, who had an almost invisible accomplice: Javier Hernandez, who was constantly in motion.

Tim Howard was the U.S.´s star player in the first 45 minutes. There were three lesser and greater shortcuts to the corners, when it seemed that Mexico could finally get up on the scoreboard. The U.S.´s best response was a free kick by Johnson, who got himself behind the goal scorers´ line. He arrived unhindered, alone, into the chop and jumped, with half his body rising over Gimenez’s casual marking.

With the score at 0-0 at the break, the page was still blank and the shadow of doubt was hanging over El Tri, due to the deplorable decline it had shown in the second half of its games.

Jurgen Klinsmann decided to imitate Mexico and played short and tried to win balls in the opponent´s area. The U.S. capitalized, opening the scoring in the 49th minute, with the help of Landon Donovan´s corner kick and Eddie Johnson´s daring. Corona might have been Mexico´s only defender as Donovan´s service met a group of U.S. forwards breaking in, but he reacted to late, and couldn´t stop Johnson´s header. 1-0.

Its immediate effect wasn’t too devastating for El Tri. They kept up their attitude facing the gigantic challenge of equalizing, going up against an opponent who is defending well and not giving anything away. They were also facing an entire stadium´s chants of "2-0, 2-0," and corresponding chants in Spanish of "dos a cero," recalling that the U.S. had previously beaten Mexico three times by this score in this stadium in different World Cup qualifying stages.

Luis Fernando Tena made changes. He removed an exhausted Gimenez and put in Hector Herrera, yielding the team´s plays to Arce. That didn´t work and that is when he had to remove Arce and put in Oribe Peralta, in order to force the two U.S. defenders to get stuck in their defensive area. The duel was set to be fought in areas that were minefields and corners. Only geniuses with their brilliance can shake up the score again.

Tena was exactly on time. He took out Salcido and sent in Angel Reyna. He overruns that side, into the center of the area. Corona hesitated again while the ball traveled freely in the area. Donovan closed in and scored. 2-0. The usual score.

The U.S. ended up playing cat and mouse. They weren´t even interested in increasing the 2-0 score which allowed them to dominate El Tri, while the U.S. fans, in an overwhelming chant, mocked Mexico’s national team: “Aaaaddiooooos, World Cup.” In the 93rd minute, Dempsey missed a penalty shot, saving it from a 3-0 score.

Today, Mexico has snuffed out the votive candles and has lit the tapers. When will true culprits be enveloped in the white smoke of this metaphor?

Roberto Carlos slams new Chelsea signing Samuel Eto’o

Roberto Carlos has launched a scathing attack at former team-mate Samuel Eto’o.

The duo spent three seasons together at Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, before leaving this summer. Eto’o joined Chelsea, while Roberto Carlos agreed a deal to coach Turkish side Sivasspor.

Despite working closely together at the Dagestan club, Carlos paints a damning picture of Eto’o’s attitude.

"I´ve known Eto´o since he was 16. He´s a good person and I´ve always liked him, but he always thinks of himself, not the group," said the 40 year-old in an interview with Globoesporte.

"It´s quite confusing and odd when a footballer, instead of playing, is interested in bringing in players who are his friends. He did everything at Anzhi, except play football.”

Carlos also claims the signing of Eto’o was initially divisive amongst the Anzhi players and even suggests the Cameroonian tried to control the club.

"There were a few small problems in the dressing room with the arrival of Eto´o, which were resolved. His signing had to be explained to several players,” continued the former Brazilian international.

"Then there came a point when Samuel wanted to interfere in my work. He wanted to control the club, taking my place and that of the coach, Guus Hiddink."

Anzhi have gone through a significant rebuild this summer, with the majority of their big name players departing as owner Suleyman Kerimov looks to downsize.

Trezeguet será titular

ROSARIO -- El delantero franco argentino David Trezeguet marcó este miércoles un tanto en la práctica de fútbol y será titular por primera vez en Newell´s Old Boys el próximo sábado, cuando el conjunto rosarino reciba a Olimpo de Bahía Blanca por la séptima fecha del Torneo Inicial.

El atacante le ganó la pulseada al paraguayo Víctor Aquino, quien venía siendo titular desde el arranque del campeonato, aunque tras los dos goles marcados a Boca Juniors en la primera fecha había bajado considerablemente su nivel.

Pese a que el ensayo futbolístico fue a puertas cerradas, se supo que Trezeguet tuvo mucha participación y hasta marcó uno de los tres goles para la victoria por 3-0 contra el conjunto alternativo. Los otros dos tantos fueron de Martín Tonso y Cristian Díaz.

El equipo rojinegro tendrá además el ingreso del paraguayo Marcos Cáceres por Díaz y de Maximiliano Rodríguez en lugar del suspendido Pablo Pérez.

Tanto el guaraní Cáceres como la Fiera Rodríguez se perdieron el partido del viernes último ante Vélez Sarsfield debido a que fueron convocados por sus respectivos seleccionados para afrontar las Eliminatorias Sudamericanas rumbo a la Copa del Mundo, Brasil 2014.

En el entrenamiento, Cristian Díaz sustituyó a Cáceres y Fabián Muñoz hizo lo propio con Maxi Rodríguez. Mientras que Víctor Figueroa jugó de volante por derecha en la posición del expulsado Pérez.

El tentativo para recibir a Olimpo es el siguiente: Nahuel Guzmán; Cáceres, Víctor López, Gabriel Heinze, Milton Casco; Figueroa, Diego Mateo, Lucas Bernardi; Tonso, Trezeguet y Rodríguez.

Vietto anticipó el clásico ante Boca

BUENOS AIRES -- El delantero Luciano Vietto reconoció que tanto Racing como Boca Juniors, próximo rival, llegan al clásico del domingo en "la misma situación", a la vez que se mostró esperanzado en poder lograr el primer triunfo de su equipo en el Torneo Inicial.

"Boca siempre es Boca y más si juega en su cancha. Ellos vienen de una derrota y nosotros de una racha negativa. En sí, los dos llegamos en la misma situación, pero esperemos que sea para nosotros", declaró el juvenil en rueda de prensa tras la práctica desarrollada en la cancha auxiliar del Cilindro.

Al respecto, el atacante surgido de la cantera albiceleste, tildó como "algo lindo" la posible presencia de Juan Román Riquelme y Fernando Gago y sostuvo que enfrentar a Boca, "motiva mucho".

"Que estén presentes esa clase de jugadores es algo lindo y que nos sirve. Aparte, jugar ante Boca nos motiva mucho", aseguró.

Por otro lado, el cordobés reconoció el mal arranque de su equipo en el torneo (último, con 2 unidades) al declarar que "no ha sido el mejor".

En cuanto al desempeño del equipo en el empate 1-1 ante Lanús de la última jornada, que coincidió con el debut del DT Carlos Ischia al frente del equipo, el joven de 19 años, aseguró que "hubo un cambio de actitud".

"Antes, quizás, anímicamente en otros partidos no estábamos bien y el fin de semana que viene tenemos un lindo partido para revertir el mal momento por el que estamos pasando ahora", dijo.

En la misma línea, añadió: "Siempre que hay un cambio se renuevan las esperanzas y las ganas de jugar de todos. Lo que pasó en estos partidos fue culpa de los jugadores. No fue del cuerpo técnico anterior ni de la dirigencia".

Además, Vietto se mostró apenado y con "mucha bronca" por la actualidad de su equipo en el torneo, que lo encuentra en el último lugar de la tabla.

"No lo puedo creer. Es algo que me genera mucha bronca y estamos tratando de remontar esta situación", reconoció.

Por último, el juvenil agregó: "En lo personal me duele mucho. Desde que empezamos a jugar nunca habíamos vivido una situación como ésta. Los más grandes del plantel nos brindan su apoyo y nos dicen que de este momento se sale trabajando".

El plantel de Racing volverá a los entrenamientos el jueves, desde las 10, en el estadio Presidente Perón y a puertas cerradas para terminar de pulir los detalles para el compromiso del próximo domingo, desde las 18.15, ante Boca, correspondiente a las 7ma. jornada del Torneo Inicial 2013

Qatar le propuso a Passarella ser DT

BUENOS AIRES -- El presidente de River Plate, Daniel Passarella, recibió un ofrecimiento para dirigir al seleccinado de Qatar de cara a la preparación de los asiáticos para el Mundial de Rusia 2018.

Passarella tiene mandato en River hasta diciembre del corriente año y todavía no descarta intentar una reelección, pero todo parece indicar que esta iniciativa de los qataríes puede convertirse en una alternativa, una especie de Plan B.

El ´Kaiser´ seguramente estará pendiente de los resultados futbolísticos en River y, en caso de que se tornen positivos, de cómo lo tratan los simpatizantes Millonarios en las encuestas, ya que sólo parece dispuesto a ir en procura de un nuevo ciclo al frente del club si se perfila como ganador en el escrutinio.

Pero este miércoles se supo que a Passarella lo buscan desde Qatar para que retorne al rol de seleccionador, el que ya desempeñó primero en la Argentina (1994-1998) y luego en Uruguay (2000-2001).

Por lo pronto, un ex ayudante de campo y hombre de confianza del nacido en Chacabuco, Héctor Pitarch, viajará al emirato para interiorizarse de las eventuales condiciones para realizar el trabajo.

Los qataríes, además de buscar la clasificación para Rusia 2018, serán los organizadores del Mundial 2022.

El ex marcador central es el único bicampeón mundial en la historia del fútbol argentino. Y el papel de entrenador también lo desempeñó en River (dos etapas), en el Parma italiano, en el Monterrey mexicano y en el Corinthians brasileño.

Como futbolista, quien tiene 60 años, tuvo una campaña sobresaliente, que comenzó en Argentino de Chacabuco y luego abarcó River (dos períodos), la Fiorentina y el Inter italianos.

Passarella returns and answers questions on Qatar and Balanta


Daniel Passarella has returned from his recent trip to Europe and Qatar amid striking River Plate employees, rumours of a Director of Football Position in Qatar and the sale of, one of the most talked about youngsters in South American football, Eder Alvarez Balanta.

The River and Argentina legend was quick to downplay the financial worries that currently surround the Buenos Aires giants. Having spent the close season in Europe, it was widely reported that Passarella was touting some of River’s most sought after players to top European clubs in order to cash in but he strongly denied this.

“I did not go to Europe to sell Balanta. I had offers, but they were unsuccessful” claimed Passarella. “For Balanta, Vangioni, Lanzini, and Pezzella, although I do not think they offered what they are worth.”

balantaRecent reports suggested River have already sold a large percentage of his ownership to a third party investment group but Passarella claimed otherwise, ”If I had been desperate , don’t you think I would have sold Balanta ?” Passarella noted that ” Balanta is worth a lot and will be worth much more . He could cost 50 million euros.”

Monaco were the side reportedly closest during the transfer window but now persistant stories link Balanta with a move to Tata Martino’s Barcelona side. However, Passarella said, “I was with Martino and he told me that River has some good players but never that he wants to buy a Balanta.”

This will do little to dispel the rumours and the truth remains that as Alvarez Balanta’s progress continues he will be leaving River in the near future.

Speaking further on the economic situation in El Monumental, Passarella said that the club “sold 70% of the ownership of Funes Mori for 3.5 million euros and when we sell the remaining 30% we are going to raise more. Moreover , Atletico Madrid and Monaco also owes us raising another 6 or 7 million.”

This increased revenue will be music to the eyes of the disgruntled River employees who are waiting for their pay this month. Passarella insisted this would be resolved immenently and it was “all politics.”

And on the subject of travelling to Qatar to discuss a Director of Football role? “All lies. Besides, if I took my wife to Qatar, she would kill me.”