Snak

D´Onofrio asumió como presidente de River

BUENOS AIRES -- River tiene nuevo presidente desde este martes al mediodía, cuando Rodolfo D´Onofrio asumió su mandato por los próximos cuatro años.

Diego Turnes, vicepresidente saliente de la institución, fue quien realizó la transición en representación del último gobierno, presidido por Daniel Passarella, quien finalmente no asistió. Quien sí estuvo presente fue Antonio Caselli, el candidato que obtuvo el segundo puesto en las elecciones del domingo pasado.

La primera incógnita que se develará en las próximas horas será el armado de la nueva Secretaría Técnica, área que sería liderada por Enzo Francéscoli, símbolo de River que ya había formado parte de la campaña de D´Onofrio en las elecciones de 2009. Esta vez, el uruguayo estaría acompañado por otros ex jugadores del Millonario, tales como Norberto Alonso, Ubaldo Fillol y Leonel Gancedo.

En relación a la conformación de este nuevo sector, no sólo se tomarán las decisiones con respecto a los refuerzos y desvinculaciones, sino también obrará de nexo entre la dirigencia y el técnico Ramón Díaz. En este punto es donde se ciernen las mayores dudas, ya que está prevista una reunión con el entrenador entre miércoles y jueves. Allí se buscará conocer el proyecto deportivo de acá en más y, fundamentalmente, dirimirán cuestiones contractuales, lo cual podría resultar determinante para la continuidad del riojano.

Sobre los refuerzos, el principal objetivo de la dirigencia será traer a Ignacio Scocco, aunque el delantero también es pretendido por Newell´s. Otro que interesa es Diego Buonanotte, quien ya mantuvo contactos con el nuevo vicepresidente, Matías Patanián. Y también es casi un hecho la vuelta de Fernando Cavenaghi. Clare que para determinar esta cuestión, habrá que esperar lo que suceda en la reunión con Ramón Díaz.

Por su parte, entre las primeras decisiones que tomará D´Onofrio, Amadeo Carrizo será nombrado Presidente Honorario del club. El exarquero mantiene el récord de presencias como jugador de River, con 565 encuentros entre 1945 y 1968.

Antonio Carrizo: "El ciclo de Ramón Díaz está cumplido"

BUENOS AIRES -- El ídolo de River Plate, Antonio Carrizo, aseguró que el ciclo de Ramón Díaz al frente del plantel "está cumplido" en el marco de la asunción de el martes de Rodolfo D`Onofrio como presidente del club.
"El ciclo de Ramón Díaz está cumplido porque el equipo no ha cumplido las expectativas", aseguró Carrizo, de 87 años.

"Los jugadores son muy importantes, sin ellos no podés salir campeón, pero los entrenadores tienen que hacer lo mejor que pueden con el material que les toca", agregó el ex arquero.

"Si sigue Ramón lo decidirá el presidente pero demostró que no pudo manejar el equipo cuando tambaleó", continuó.

Sobre la asunción de D`Onofrio, Carrizo indicó: "Es un día de fiesta, se abre un nuevo ciclo y le deseamos lo mejor para el bien del club, el más grande del país".

Ayovi links up with Club Tijuana

TIJUANA, Mexico – Club Tijuana announced Saturday that on-loan striker Jaime Ayovi, an Ecuador international, has joined the squad after spending six months with Liga de Quito.

The 25-year-old was acquired by Xolos in the summer and was sent to the Ecuadorian side, scoring eight goals in 15 games.

Ayovi has previous experience in Mexican football after stints with Toluca (2011), with which he appeared in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League (CCL), and Pachuca (2011-2012).

In Ecuador’s successful World Cup Qualifying campaign for Brazil 2014, he netted once in 10 appearances.

Tijuana, which finished 10th in the Liga MX 2013 Apertura standings and recently named Venezuelan Cesar Farias as its new head coach, will meet the LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals of the 2013-14 CCL next year.

Panama’s Baloy joins Morelia from Santos

MORELIA, Mexico – Morelia announced Saturday that defender Felipe Baloy is expected to report to preseason training in the coming days after it acquired the Panama international from fellow Mexican side Santos Laguna.

Baloy made 125 league appearance in four years with the Guerreros, winning one domestic title (2012 Clausura) and finishing twice as a runner-up in the CONCACAF Champions League (2011-12, 2012-13).

The 32-year-old came to Mexico in 2005, joining Monterrey from Brazil’s Atletico Paranaense. With the Rayados, he became the first Panamanian to win a Mexican championship (2009 Apertura).

In addition to the 2014 Liga MX Clausura, Morelia will participate in the 2014 Copa Libertadores, where it is scheduled to meet Colombia’s Santa Fe in a two-legged playoff. The winner will earn a place in Group 4 with defending champion Atletico Mineiro (Brazil), Nacional (Paraguay) and Zamora (Venezuela).

NOTES: Baloy appeared in 18 of Panama’s 20 World Cup qualifiers for Brazil 2014, playing a team-high 1,620 minutes.

Real España wins Honduran title, qualifies for CCL

TOCOA, Honduras – Real España overcame Real Sociedad 3-1 on penalties Sunday to claim the 2013 Honduran Apertura crown and qualify for the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League at the Estadio Francisco Martinez. The two-match series ended 3-3 on aggregate after host Sociedad won the second leg, 2-0, forcing two periods of extra time.

In the penalty shootout, Real España goalkeeper Luis Lopez made three saves, while Palomo Rodriguez, Gerson Rodas and Bryan Acosta successfully converted their kicks for the San Pedro Sula-based side, which captured its 11th domestic title.

A 3-1 setback in the opener forced Real Sociedad to come out in an offensive posture, but it was unable to find the net until the first minute of first-half stoppage. Elkin Gonzalez converted a penalty following a Lopez foul on Rony Martínez in the box.

The home team enjoyed solid stretches of possession in the second half. Real España’s defense, though, remained stout as Lopez made several critical stops.

One minute into second-half injury time, Sociedad’s Henry Martínez made it 2-0 on the day and 3-3 overall, jumping high to head a left-sided cross inside the right post.

In the 104th minute, Lopez made a tremendous save, thwarting Rony Martinez, who raced into the left side of the Real España penalty area alone.

NOTES: Real España has made two previous appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League (2009-10, 2011-12).

Remarkable rally ends in title for Comunicaciones

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Comunicaciones captured its third straight Guatemalan title and qualified for the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League on Saturday, outlasting Heredia 4-3 on penalty kicks, after their 2013 Apertura final series ended 3-3 on aggregate.

The host Cremas overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit leg to win the return match, 3-1, ultimately forcing the championship to be decided from the spot at the Estadio Cementos Progreso.

Heredia seemed to have a firm grip on the trophy in the 26th minute, when Anderson Andrade struck off the right post and into the net from 13-yards out to give the visitors a 1-0 lead on the day and 3-0 overall.

It was not until the second half that Comunicaciones got its rally into full stride.

Jose Manuel Contreras made it 1-1 in the 64th minute, sharply heading home from 10-yards out off a Carlos Figueroa cross.

Four minutes later, Contreras put the Creamas ahead 2-1 with a tremendous right-footed blast from in excess of 30-yards out that swerved to the left of goalkeeper Jose Calderon.

Knowing that it needed another goal to force extra time, Comunicaciones kept pushing forward and generated several near misses. It was rewarded for its endeavor, though, with four minutes left in regulation time.

A long throw-in was headed backwards into the box by Minor Lopez to the influential Contreras, who dropped a pass to the unmarked Paolo Suarez. Without missing a beat, the unmarked 33-year-old calmly stroked a left-footed effort from the top of the semi-circle that eluded the sprawling Calderon and found the back of the net.

With the final level at 3-3, an additional 30 minutes were contested without any more goals.

Heredia, though was dealt a blow when Calderon was sent off for a second yellow in the 119th minute. Forward Robin Betancourth assumed the responsibility of guarding the Jaguares’ goal during the penalty kicks.

Each team missed twice, so it came to the sixth round, where Heredia’s Wilfred Velasquez hit the crossbar. With the title on his foot, Jorge Aparicio converted, allowing Comunicaciones to hoist the trophy for a 27th time.

“That’s how you win title,” said Comunicaciones goalkeeper Juan José Paredes after the match. “We have that hunger for glory. It has not been at all easy, but we showed it on the field.

“Now it’s time to celebrate.”

NOTES: Comunicaciones and Heredia represented Guatemala in this season’s CONCACAF Champions League.

Isidro Metapan wins Salvadoran title, makes history

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Andres Flores scored the game-winning goal late in the second half and Isidro Metapan won the 2013 Salvadoran Apertura, defeating FAS 1-0 in the final on Sunday at the Estadio Cuscatlan.

Metapan joined Luis Angel Firpo and FAS as the only teams to capture the title after qualifying for the playoffs through a single-game tiebreaker. It topped Alianza 1-0 in an elimination match to decide which would finish in fourth place and earn a spot in the semifinals.

Additionally, by virtue of their triumph, the Jaguares qualified for the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League, becoming the first team to secure a berth in all seven editions of the competition.

The curtain closer enjoyed a fluid rhythm straight from the opening whistle. FAS gave first notice of intent, as Williams Reyes fired an effort off the crossbar from 20-yards out before two minutes had elapsed.

Metapan’s vibrant strike duo of Panamanian Nicolas Munoz and Puerto Rico’s Hector Ramos offered flexible attacking options, but FAS was equally firm in defense.

As the game wore on, it appeared that the evenly matched sides would decide the championship after full-time, but then Flores made the decisive play.

In the 84th minute, Metapan gained possession in midfield and played through Marvin Monterrosa, who dribbled into the middle. With the FAS defense shifting to its left in pursuit, Monterrosa slipped a clever reverse ball to an unmarked Flores on the left. The 22-year-old midfielder dribbled in on net and easily slotted past goalkeeper Luis Contreras.

“I am so very proud that history will carry my name,” Flores told reporters immediately after the game. “[Head coach Jorge Rodríguez] told me that I would win the final so I wanted to give thanks to him.”

The title is Metapan’s eighth in its history and it has won the last four Apertura crowns.

Pinto, Baez report to training with Cruz Azul

MEXICO CITY – In preparation for its 2014 Liga MX Clausura opener on January 4 away to Monterrey, Cruz Azul kicked off five days of preseason double-training sessions Monday at the High Performance Center.

Two recent acquisitions – Mexican international Fausto Pinto (25 caps) and Xavier Baez – underwent medical examinations and joined their new teammates.

Pinto returns for a second stint with La Maquina after a year with Toluca, where he made 32 league appearances, as well as two in the 2013 Copa Libertadores and one in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.

The defender, 30, started his career with Pachuca, winning three domestic crowns (2001 Invierno, 2006 Clausura, 2007 Clausura), plus two CONCACAF Champions Cups (2007, 2008) and a Copa Sudamericana (2006). He played in 125 league games for Cruz Azul from 2009-2012.

Similar to Pinto, Baez also played the past 12 months with Toluca, taking the field in 16 Liga MX encounters and three in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.

The 26-year-old midfielder was loaned to Toluca after six years with Guadalajara.

Cruz Azul will face Sporting Kansas City in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals next year.

Violence, politcs to blame for declining crowds in Brazil´s top flight

Posted by Tim Vickery

I go to plenty of matches in the Brazilian Championship -- sometimes four a week. And I always leave home in hope, maybe today I´ll get an early glimpse at a young player who in five years´ time will be a global star. Also, there is the unpredictable nature of what happens.

In such a big country with so many giant teams, it is impossible to tell beforehand which clubs will be fighting for the title. This year, for example, few saw Cruzeiro among the leading title contenders. But they won with ease. Early favourites such as Corinthians and Sao Paulo had dismal campaigns. It can be fascinating indeed to watch all of this unfold in front of your eyes.

It is disappointing, then, that average crowds for the tournament were less than 15,000 -- lower than Major League Soccer´s average attendance of 18,594 in the U.S.

There are a number of reasons for this sad state of affairs, and this article does not intend to outline all of them. Rather, it highlights a couple of reasons to stay at home -- reasons which have become very clear over the past few days.

One is the threat of violence -- shown for all the world to see with the scenes from the Atletico PR-Vasco da Gama game in Joinville little more than a week ago. An image has gripped Brazil´s footballing community over the past few days -- that of a father protecting his son from the fight that was taking place around them. How many fathers have been put off taking their children to a match as a result of what happened in Joinville?

True, this was rare, and was in large part due to inept event management in a neutral stadium. Moreover, it is possible that next year´s World Cup will leave an important legacy of improved crowd control procedures. But the violence is out there.

Sociologist Mauricio Murad argues that Brazil now leads the global ranking in football related deaths, the vast majority of which take place far from the stadium and often not even on match days. And it is by no means just football-related violence that keeps people at home, it is all the social problems of a society with such unequal income distribution.

But there is also another reason to stay at home. Why bother to go watch a spectacle in which the lawyers are more important than the centre forwards?

Theoretically the Brazilian Championship ended on Sunday, Dec. 8. In practice, though, no one knows when it will really come to a climax. The question of who goes down to the second division is going to be decided in the courtroom.

Little Portuguesa of Sao Paulo had acquired enough points to ensure their first division survival with a game to spare -- a remarkable achievement for a club seen by almost everyone as relegation certainties. But it is here that the confusion starts.

In their final game, a glorified friendly, they brought on substitute Heverton for the last 15 minutes. It seems, however, that he should have been serving the second game of a two-game suspension. Whether Portuguesa were correctly informed of this situation is one of the points to be debated.

The substance is, though, that the club fielded an ineligible player. According to the rulebook, this entails a loss of points gained in the match concerned (one, because it was a draw), plus a three-point penalty. This would put Portuguesa down into the relegation zone, which would seem like a punishment out of all proportion to the crime committed.

By coincidence, the team that would benefit from such a scenario is Fluminense, the 2012 champions, who had a disastrous run with injuries and ended up in the final weeks of the campaign slipping into the relegation zone. The problem here is that Fluminense have a previous record of sneaking away from certain relegation. They are the grand old man of Brazilian football, the traditional club of the Rio de Janeiro elite, which gives them considerable political power.

They should have been relegated at the end of 1996. But then a refereeing scandal was discovered, and relegation was canceled. They did go down a year later, and dropped down to the third division at the end of the following season. Once again, a legal imbroglio came to their rescue.

After winning the third division, a new model of championship was brought into effect, and they ended up jumping straight back into the first division, without having to go through the second.

Clearly, none of the current problem is Fluminense´s fault. They have no involvement with the circumstances or the fact that Portuguesa appear to have selected an ineligible player. And they have no power of decision to determine what happens next -- that lies with Brazil´s convoluted sports justice system, and, after all of their deliberations there is every chance that it will proceed to the ordinary justice system.

But this is, nevertheless, a wonderful opportunity for Fluminense to take a leadership role entirely in keeping with the immense contribution that the club has made to Brazilian football.

Imagine if Fluminense issued a statement on the following lines; acknowledging that Portuguesa were guilty of nothing more than an administrative slip up, and that there was no intention to gain a sporting advantage, nor sporting advantage gained, from a 15-minute appearance by an ineligible player in an irrelevant game. That in the light of this, a punishment of four points to Portuguesa is disproportionate to the crime; a more appropriate penalty would be an administrative fine, together with the loss of the one point gained in the match concerned. It would be the honorable thing for Fluminense to do, albeit unlikely.

This might seem utopian. But then again, a few months ago, who would have thought that Brazilians in the millions would be out on the streets protesting? Who could have imagined that Brazil´s footballers would give a show of common sense and unity, staging intelligent protests in favour of an improved calendar and better working conditions?

Fluminense have a chance now to send a powerful message -- that the country is changing, that it is no longer a case of every man (or club) for him (or itself), that the concept of the common good exists. The ball is on the penalty spot.

Young Marquinhos makes waves at PSG

After just a season in Italy -- albeit a relatively successful one -- you´re told that Paris Saint-Germain have just shelled out 31 million euros so you can reinforce their star-studded squad. When you arrive at your new club, it becomes clear that you might force out local hero Mamadou Sakho, a player admired by fans and a symbol of life in Paris before the arrival of the Qatari Investment Authority and PSG´s subsequent leap into globalization.

This scenario would already be enough to make butterflies dance in the stomachs of experienced players, let alone a 19-year old. But Marcos Aoas Correa, aka Marquinhos, is no ordinary youngster and has taken these pressures firmly in stride.

Too well, in fact: in six games in the Champions League group stages (five of them as a starter), he not only kept things tight at the back for PSG but also scored twice to help the French side edge ahead of Olympiakos for top spot in Group C. He also did enough to earn praise from UEFA; alongside fellow defender Miranda of Atletico Madrid, Marquinhos was the only Brazilian to make it the Group Stage XI.

It is tempting to imagine that manager Laurent Blanc might now use Marquinhos a bit more often in Ligue 1 -- so far, the Brazilian defender has only played a part in half of the club´s 18 games -- but the defender is the first one to avoid exasperation.

"I am not in a hurry. This is my first season at PSG and things have already happened fast. I have got to keep on working to be in my best shape in order to help the team," he explains.

It is exactly this kind of readiness and willingness that has enthused PSG supporters. Marquinhos has stepped in to help the club cope with the loss of captain Thiago Silva for more than a month, never mind that he still admits to being a bit star-struck at the presence of the Selecao regular.

"[Thiago Silva] is a defender I have admired and it was already quite something to play alongside him. Replacing him felt weird, but I had to put in my mind that this is part of the learning curve. There´s enough in my plate with all the expectations around the money PSG paid for me," Marquinhos says.

His confidence is also underpinned by the plaudits he won during his brief time at Roma. Signed from Corinthians in July 2012 for a reported fee of less than 10 million euros, he slotted beautifully into Zdenek Zeman´s side, forming center-back partnership with fellow Brazilian Leandro Castan. "Playing in Serie A was an amazing opportunity to learn the ropes," Marquinhos notes. "It is a tough league that demands a lot from defenders, especially in tactical terms."

That spell helped him settle into European football and made the PSG opportunity look a bit less threatening. "But I was quite aware that the club will always be under pressure to compete for all trophies, something very different from Roma. I am sure that a lot of people did not know me and wanted to see who what such a young player was all about," the Brazilian says.

Although Marquinhos was hardly a famous face when he left Brazil after only six senior games for Corinthians, his exploits have already raised interest back home. Luiz Felipe Scolari called the defender up for the Selecao´s recent North American tour, and all of a sudden Marquinhos sees himself in contention for a place in the World Cup squad. Young though he may be, his precious European experience against top opponents is giving him the advantage of actually being used to stepping into Silva´s shoes.

Still just 19, missing the 2014 World Cup would not be the end of the world though Marquinhos got the bug after the brief Selecao experience last month. "Once you have a chance to be alongside those guys and wear the Brazil shirt, you just wanna keep coming back. Of course there is still a lot of time before the World Cup and you have to be on top of your game to get a call-up, but my situation could be a bit worse," he jokes.

It could definitely improve if he maintains his Champions League momentum. PSG have what many consider a kind draw in the round of 16, paired against Bayer Leverkusen. "There were other teams supposedly more dangerous, but to think Leverkusen is in the second round by accident would be foolish of us."

Ultimately, Marquinhos just hopes he gets more chances to play in Europe -- and perhaps score a few more goals.

"It´s quite funny that I hadn´t scored for Corinthians and Rome and all of a sudden I´m only behind Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] and Edinson [Cavani] in PSG´s European scoring charts. But I have to be more worried about not conceding them," he says.

Though it´s only his first season in the French capital, expectations for him have now risen. But it´s impossible not to see that Marquinhos has so far handled the rapid rate of change quite well. He´s hit the ground running, which has come as a nice surprise for Laurent Blanc and Big Phil, who all of a sudden are not going to need a stiff shot of something strong if Silva´s injury concerns continue.