Snak

CHIVAS IMPROVE BUT ONLY DRAW WITH SANTOS AND QUERETARO EDGE MORELIA ·

After less than a month the Liga MX is back and Friday’s opening fixtures provided giants, Chivas the chance to redeem themselves after a woeful 2013. New Coach, Jose Luis Real did see some improvements to perhaps offer some optimism but Los Rojiblancos were pegged back to a 1-1 draw against a slightly sluggish Santos side. Earlier, Queretaro got off to a winning start thanks to Argentine, Miguel Martinez’s header, giving them a 1-0 win over a disappointing Morelia.

Queretaro impressed in their opening fixture as they stifled the supremely talented and dangerous, Morelia strike-force. With such a short close season and no time to bed in new players, Morelia will undoubtedly improve over the coming weeks but that takes nothing away from Queretaro bustling display. The only goal of the game came after 16 minutes when Diego de la Torre swung in a free kick and Martinez climbed to nod past Carlos Rodriguez.

http://www.youtube.com/w…A50uGzf55gM

After a 2013 in which Chivas won only 5 Liga MX matches and relegation has crept up on the most decorated side in Mexican football, a new lease of life is needed this season. It wasn’t exactly a transformation but there are signs of life in Guadalajara and the performances, in particular of Carlos Fierro in midfield and Pato Araujo in shutting out Oribe Peralta are positive signs.

It took only 3 minutes for Chivas to lead when a break down the right found Omar Bravo in space and the veteran Mexico striker made no mistake in smashing the ball past Oswaldo Sanchez.

Like Morelia earlier, Santos were not at 100% at this stage of the season and the first half was somewhat disjointed. A good time to meet them but fully taken advantage of by a Chivas side who would have perhaps been incapable of doing that last season.

As expected Pedro Caixinha got a response from his side after the break and it took just 5 minutes to draw level. Jose Abella fired in a low cross from the right and Israel Castro ended diverting the ball past his own goalkeeper.

Chivas responded well and both sides had chances to take the lead as the game went back and forth. Santos were reduced to 10 men after 66 minutes when Oswaldo Alanis was shown a second yellow card and this allowed Chivas to take advantage. However, they were unable to make their numerical advantage count and the game ended in a draw.

http://www.youtube.com/w…s9_XJA0cQoA

Teo Gutiérrez se sumó a la pretemporada de River Plate

BUENOS AIRES -- Con la presencia del atacante colombiano Teófilo Gutiérrez, el plantel de River completó la segunda jornada de exámenes médicos y físicos, luego del receso de vacaciones.

Gutiérrez no estuvo presente el viernes por un atraso en su vuelo desde Colombia y recién se sumó al plantel por la mañana del sábado en el estadio Monumental de Núñez.

Tras la entrada en calor, los jugadores realizaron algunos ejercicios con pelota, tareas aeróbicas y en el gimnasio.

Al igual que ayer, un grupo de futbolistas fue sometido a exámenes médicos y físicos por le cuerpo médico del plantel.

Para el domingo está previsto que los jugadores se muevan desde las 9 en el predio de Ezeiza, posteriormente almorzarán y a las 14 partirán hacia Tandil, donde realizarán la parte más exigente de la pretemporada en las instalaciones del club Ferrocarril Sud.

El plantel que se hospedará en el hotel Elegance de Tandil estará conformado por los arqueros Marcelo Barovero, Leandro Chichizola y Nicolás Rodríguez; los defensores Jonatan Maidana, Eder Álvarez Balanta, Federico Vega, Ramiro Funes Mori, Gabriel Mercado, Jonathan Bottinelli y Germán Pezzella.

Viajarán también los mediocampistas Matías Kranevitter, Carlos Carbonero, Juan Menseguez, Manuel Lanzini, Leonel Vangioni, Osmar Ferreyra, Martín Aguirre, Ariel Rojas, Jonathan Fabbro, Augusto Solari, Leonardo Ponzio, Cristian Ledesma y Tomás Martínez.

Además, partirán con el grupo los delanteros Fernando Cavenaghi, Gutiérrez, Federico Andrada, Rodrigo Mora, Giovanni Simeone, Daniel Villalva, Sebastián Driussi y Juan Kaprof. Junto a estos jugadores, también tendrán su lugar los juveniles Emanuel Mammana, Sebastián Vega, Nicolás Francese, Víctor Cabrera, Lucas Pugh y Julio Zúñiga.

Youngster Neilton could stay at Santos with financial backing

Santos´ 19 year-old striking prodigy, Neilton, could yet stay at the club with the help of financial aid in the shape of an investment fund.

The young attacker, who has become the de facto successor to global star Neymar, has a contract with Peixe that expires at the end of May and in an attempt to secure his future at the club it has been mooted that up to 20% of a new contract could be fronted by interested monetary parties.

Despite making only 14 appearances for Santos thus far, Neilton is held in high regard at Vila Belmiro and the sale of Neymar means there is a little financial scope with which to keep him there.

He is expected to line up for Santos in this year´s Copa Sao Paulo Junior.

Atlético-MG will not put financial stability at risk to renew Ronaldinho’s contract

The president of Atlético-MG, Alexandre Kalil, has made his affection for Ronaldinho clear but denies that he will do anything financially reckless to keep the 33-year-old at the club.

After spending the holiday period abroad, Kalil has returned to Brazil to try and negotiate a new contract with the Galo star. In an interview with Radio Itatiaia, Kalil outlined the need to approach the matter with economic caution.

“It depends more on whether Ronaldinho wants to stay than if Atlético want him to stay. We will not risk spending five or six years in a weaker position just for the sake of one player, regardless of how much he is worth or how dear he is to me personally. It is a matter that will be handled professionally, as is everything at Atlético,” said the 54-year-old.

The major obstacle in Atlético’s way is Besiktas, who have entered the race for R10’s signature with more vigour than anyone. Ronaldinho’s brother and agent, Roberto Assis, has already been seen in Istanbul and rumours in Turkey suggest that he has also taken the 2002 World Cup winner to have a look around the city. The proposed contract is rumoured to be worth €6m a year.

Police arrest president of Vasco’s ‘Youth Force’

On Friday night the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police arrested the president of the Força Jovem do Vasco in a beach-side kiosk.

Bruno Pereira Ribeiro, also known as Bruno Fet, was involved in widespread fighting that broke out between Atlético-PR and Vasco da Gama supporters in the final round of the Brasileirão, on December 8. The 32-year-old had been a fugitive since December 19, when a warrant for his arrest was issued.

As a consequence of the ugly scenes, 31 spectators have been reported and more than 20 arrested. All are charged with causing damage to public property, inciting violence, criminal association and some with attempted murder. Bruno Fet is one of those included in the latter.

The confrontation left a total of four fans hospitalised, one of whom suffered a fractured skull and was only discharged five days later.

Brazil´s Superior Court of Sporting Justice has already ordered the two teams to play a total of 20 games away from their home cities of Curitiba (Atlético) and Rio de Janeiro (Vasco).

Pelé lists Chile among the favourites to win the World Cup

The folklore surrounding Pelé’s World Cup predictions has existed since he famously earmarked Colombia as potential winners of the competition in 1994. In a recent interview, he has once again revealed another South American surprise in his list of favourites.

Speaking to FIFA’s weekly magazine, the three-time World Cup winner talked about his expectations for the World Cup in Brazil.

"There are several good teams: Spain, Italy, Germany, Chile and obviously Argentina. Messi could be a big factor," said the King.

Some consider Pelé’s tips of success to be more of a jinx than anything. In 2013 a light-hearted publicity campaign was launched in Colombia asking the Brazilian legend not to select them as favourites. In 1994, despite great expectations, Carlos Valderrama and his Colombian side were eliminated in the first round.

Pelé also pondered a possible Argentinian victory on Brazilian soil: "Yes, it would not be ideal for us but Argentina have a very strong team with experienced players, which is what you need to win a World Cup".

In the interview, Pelé also said that he believed Neymar’s move to Europe could be ‘crucial’ for the Brazilian superstar’s performances at the World Cup. The Santos legend also expressed concern about a repeat of the demonstrations that overshadowed the Confederations Cup in Brazil in 2013.

"I hope Brazil embraces the opportunity given to it with the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. We want to show the world our positive attributes: Love for life, spirit and a beautiful country. Incidents like those that occurred during the Confederations Cup, when a sporting event was hindered by political protests, should not be allowed again," he said.

Brazilian newspaper report that Vasco da Gama close to signing Olimpia duo Eduardo Aranda and Martín Silva

Vasco da Gama will announce the signing of Uruguayan goalkeeper Martín Silva and Paraguayan midfielder Eduardo Aranda from Olimpia according to Lance.

The pair will undergo the final parts of their medical on Monday according to doctor Clovis Muñoz.

Muñoz told Lance that Vasco are now waiting for the radiological study results, which are due on Monday.

“The results of the cardiac and orthopedic test were all ok, all normal. Now we need a radiological study, we will get the results for that on Monday and they can sign up after that.”

Vasco were relegated from the Brasileirão last season and the signing of these two players will boost their hopes of returning their in 2014.

The contracts are different however as Martín Silva has been offered a four-year deal, while Aranda will be signing on for three years. The two players were with Olimpia last season but let their contracts expire.

Both will be playing in Brazil for the first time in their careers and will hope they can achieve success in their first season, should the transfers be confirmed soon.

Goiás defender Rodrigo close to signing for Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama are close to announcing the signing of Goiás defender Rodrigo for the 2014 season, a year they hope to regain their Brasileirão position.

Vasco were relegated last season to the Campeonato Série B and they’ll hope the addition of central defender Rodrigo increases their chances of a return to the Brazilian top flight.

Lance confirmed the transfer and reveal that the 33-year-old will have a medical on Monday before officially signing his contract with the club. He will link up with the squad for pre-season.

Rodrigo was one of many excellent performers for Goiás last season as they surprised several pundits by finishing 6th in the table, only just missing out on a Copa Libertadores spot.

The central back featured 33 times for Verdão last year and was arguably their player of the season, contributing towards them conceding just 44 goals.

Rodrigo has played for a number of clubs in Brazil and also for Dynamo Kyiv in Europe. He will be seen as the replacement for Cris, who hasn’t had his contract renewed by Gigante da Colina and is free to find another club.

Belgrano se va a Necochea

CÓRDOBA -- El plantel de Belgrano de Cordoba, se trasladará el domingo a Necochea, sitio habitual de sus prestemporadas, para asumir sus compromisos de este año, en el torneo Final y en la Copa Argentina.

El elenco dirigido por Ricardo Zielinski permanecerá en la costa bonaerense hasta el sábado 18, previéndose que antes del retorno juegue un amistoso con Aldosivi de Mar del Plata.

Ya en Córdoba, el conjunto celeste tomará parte de un triangular, que se jugará en su cancha del barrio Alberdi, con Independiente y Rosario Central, a los que enfrentará el jueves 23 y el lunes 27, respectivamente. Los visitantes abrirán el juego el lunes 20.

Con un plantel, sin mayores novedades, ya que no hubo llegada de refuerzos, el grupo trabajó hoy en el predio del club en el barrio Villa Esquiú, bajo las ordenes de Rubén Flotta, el ayudante de Zielinski, quien el lunes se sumará en Necochea a la pretemporada.

Se realizaron trabajos fisicos livianos supervisados por los profesores Alfonso Meoni y Hernán Castex.

Los jugadores que trabajaran en Necochea son los arqueros Juan Olave, Pablo Heredia, Lucas Acosta y Juan Cursi.

Defensores: Pier Barrios, Renzo Saravia, Gastón Turus, Luciano Lollo, Lucas Aveldaño, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricio Berardo, Nicolás Ferreyra, Federico Álvarez y Juan Quiroga.

Volantes: Sebastián Carrera, Facundo Affranchino, Emiliano Rigoni, Esteban González, Guillermo Farré, Marcos Rivadero, Jonathan Santana, Iván Etevenaux, Lucas Pittinari, Lucas Zelarayán y Jorge Velázquez.

Delanteros: César Pereyra, Fernando Márquez, Giuliano Bardín, Carlos Bueno, Ezequiel Maggiolo, Joel Valdemarín y Nahuel Luján.

Se sumarán los delanteros Nahuel Luján y Joel Valdemarín, quienes estaban en quinta de AFA y el arquero Juan Cursi.

Respecto del plantel anterior ya no están el arquero Sebastián Blázquez (al Mashuc Runa de Ecuador), el volante Gastón Álvarez Suárez (San Marcos de Arica en Chile) y los delanteros Diego Ftacla (Patronato de Paraná) y Tobías Figueroa (Almirante Brown)

Mugni til Montepellier.....

Colón: la venta de Lucas Mugni a Francia estaría casi hecha

SANTA FE -- Uno de los vicepresidentes de Colón de Santa Fe destacó el sábado que la venta del enganche Lucas Mugni al Montpellier francés "está casi hecha", operación que le permitiría a la entidad sabalera percibir un dinero que le ayudará a paliar, mínimamente, la crisis económica que atraviesa.

El viceprimero de la institución rojinegra, Víctor Godano, aseguró que el traspaso de Mugni al Montpellier está "prácticamente cerrado". "Para nosotros es un buen dinero para poder funcionar, ya que nos queda el 100 por ciento de la venta. La operación sería aproximadamente de un millón 200 mil dólares, menos la deducción por los impuestos que en estos momentos no sé bien cuánto será", explicó el directivo.

Godano también se refirió a la deuda que Colón mantiene con el Atlante de México, por la transferencia impaga del otrora volante del club Juan Carlos Falcón.

"Tenemos el dinero para pagarle al Atlante. La semana que viene esperemos hacer el deposito", manifestó.

"Esperemos que martes o miércoles terminemos con ésto que nos aqueja a todos. Estamos trabajando para poder depositar el monto de la deuda, pero es un trámite complejo porque tenemos muchas restricciones burocráticas para mandar los dólares", aseveró el directivo.

EL PLANTEL RETOMART EL LUNES

En otro orden, sin refuerzos y con notorias bajas respecto del semestre anterior, el equipo dirigido por Diego Osella (reemplazará a Mario Sciacqua) volverá a entrenarse, desde el lunes, en horario matutino.

Ya se alejaron del club, entre otros, los jugadores Luciano Leguizamón, Ronald Raldes, Oscar Carniello, Iván Moreno y Fabianesi, Rubén Ramírez y Bruno Urribarri.