Snak

Mexico and Peru to use game as tune-up for their respective qualifiers

One of the revelations of Peruvian soccer, Cristian Benavente, on the Real Madrid youth team, was called by Sergio Markarián for the friendly against Mexico.

The Mexican and Peruvian football selections will play an exhibition game in San Francisco this Wednesday. Both teams look to use the game as a tune-up before their next qualifying games in the six-way CONCACAF tournament, and the South American qualifying tournament, respectively.

The game will take place in Candlestick Park on Wednesday night (0300 GMT Thursday).

José ´Chepo´ de la Torre, the Mexican coach, has called twenty players for the local tournament, among them forward for América Raúl Jiménez.

The exhibition game will allow the Mexican team to prepare for its upcoming competitions which count for something: the six- way CONCACAF tournament for World Cup Brazil 2014 classification, and the Confederations Cup, in which Mexico will compete against Italy on June 16th.

Speaking about the upcoming game with Peru, ´Chepo´ indicated that these "are games which let you observe people. They are games of preparation and we have always seen them as they are: a way to prepare ourselves for what´s next".

However, ´Chepo´ rejected that the idea that he would not try to win because it is only an exhibition game. He stated that for the ´Tri´, it doesn´t matter what type of competition it is. There is always pressure to get results.

"The pressure for our national team always has existed, independent of whether the results are good or bad. We always have this alarm going off in our mind because we cannot underestimate anything", said de la Torre.

Among the players on the Mexican roster is the promising Jiménez, who managed to score seven goals in the present tournament. He is 21 years old.

De la Torre also called veteran Omar Bravo, ex-forward for Deportivo La Coruña (Spain) and current player for Atlas; Pablo Barrera, who returned to Mexico last year to play for Cruz Azul after his experience in Europe for West Ham (England) and Zaragoza (Spain).

Mexico has another exhibition game programmed against Nigeria in Houston on May 31st. They follow that with two away games in the CONCACAF six-way tournament, against Jamaica on June 4th and against Panama on June 6th. Finally, they have a home game against Costa Rica on June 11th.

The ´Tri´ is in fifth place in the six-way CONCACAF tournament, which bestows three World Cup berths. A fourth team - that which reaches three points in the three scheduled games - will be given the opportunity to qualify but must win against New Zealand in order to seal the deal.

For its part, Peru has entrusted its team to Uruguayan Sergio Markarían, who also has called 20 players, among them three overseas players, as part of their preparation for their game with Ecuador in the South American qualifying tournament.

Among their players, Cristian Benavente (Real Madrid juniors, Spain) stands out. He played in the Under 20 selection that participated in the corresponding competition in Argentina this January.

The game will "allow us to try out the younger players, who in three years will pass to the men´s selection", the coach said before he boarded the plane. Of course, he was speaking about the junior players called to compete in the exhibition match.

The media has focused on Benavente, who played particularly well for Peru in the South American Under-20 tournament.

Other players called include defenders Alexander Callens (Real Sociedad, Spain) and Luis Advíncula (Hoffenheim, Germany).

This exhibition game will allow Markarián to evaluate the team, which is currently in seventh place with 11 points in the standings for the South American qualifying tournament.

After 12 series of games, Argentina leads with 24 points, followed by Ecuador (20), Colombia (19), Chile and Venezuela (15), Uruguay (13), Peru (11), Bolivia (9) and Paraguay (8).

Peru´s next game will be against Ecuador, to be played this June in Lima. They must win to keep their hopes alive.

The South American tournament will make four teams immediately eligible for World Cup Brazil 2014 competition. A fifth team will have the opportunity to qualify but will
need to beat the fifth place team from Asia in order to do so.

Possible starting line-ups:

Mexico: Jesús Corona - Francisco Javier Rodríguez, Hugo Ayala, Israel Jiménez, Jorge Torres Nilo, Gerardo Torrado, Jesús Molina, Pablo Barrera, Luis Montes, Omar Bravo y Rafael Márquez Lugo. Coach: José Manuel de la Torre.

Peru: Salomón Libman - Luis Advíncula, Roberto Guizasola, Christian Ramos, Alfredo Rojas, Cristian Benavente, Paulo Albarracín, Michael Guevara, Josepmir Ballón, Yordy Reyna and Raúl Ruidíaz. Coach: Sergio Markarián.

Så er der lidt krise i Independiente efter valg af Brinidisi som ny manager, klubpræsident Cantero er rasende over, forlydender om at manageren er blevet "valgt" af AFA´s præsident Julio Grondona...

Cantero niega influencia de Grondona

BUENOS AIRES -- El presidente de Independiente, Javier Cantero, calificó de "infamia" la versión de que el presidente de AFA, Julio Grondona, haya elegido a Miguel Brindisi como nuevo entrenador del club de Avellaneda.
"Es una barbaridad y una infamia decir que Grondona eligió al técnico, no es cierto. Yo soy el presidente de Independiente y el que hizo el acercamiento final", le dijo Cantero a Télam en la AFA.

Brindisi será presentado el miércoles, a las 15, como nuevo entrenador de Independiente, que está en zona de descenso, a falta de diez fechas y tendrá un vínculo hasta junio de 2014.

"Brindisi se había reunido con otros dirigentes por la tarde y no estaba muy seguro de agarrar. Yo lo consulté con Grondona y hablé con otros dirigentes, pero en definitiva yo fui el que arregló su contratación", concluyó el directivo.

Intens passioneret superclasico i Colombia, Medellin vs Bogotá.

Atletico Nacional og Millonarios tørnede sammen på Atanasio Girardot, Medellin.

John Pajoy bragte los verde y blanco foran kort inde i anden halvleg, Harrison "Harry Potter" Otalvaro udlignede for los Embajadores Indenen Sherman " Sherminator" Cárdenas scorede sejrsmålet for hjemmeholdet i overtiden.

Millos fik decimeret deres forsvar i løbet af anden halvleg først røg højrebacken Leonard Vazquez ud efter 10 minutters spil af anden halvleg - og i den hektiske slutfase var det så Roman " El Mazinger " Torres der trak sit andet gule kort - helt igennem fantastike dage for den panamanske mur - selvmål i Derbi de Bogotá og nu udvisning i Superclasico´en.


http://www.youtube.com/w…nX9CahSSB80

Millonarios´ Jorge Perlaza i fuld psssion med brækket ben..

http://www.youtube.com/w…TJqk1Fh4bwI

Nice jab at inter...

Corinthians set to begin contract renewal talks with manager Tite

Corinthians´ manager Tite has been linked with a move to Italian team Inter Milan, but the current world champions want to extend his contract.

Tite is the most successful manager in Brazil in recent years, having won the Brazilian National First Division, Copa Libertadores and the Club World Cup as manager of Corinthians.

He is also one of the longest lasting ones, as he has been manager of the Timão since 2010.

As Andrea Stramaccioni´s future as Inter Milan´s manager looks less certain, Tite has been linked to the Italian club;

Corinthians, however, are not willing to let him go before his contract ends in December, and are set to extend the deal until 2014.

The club´s director of football Roberto de Andrade told reporters: "Corinthians are bigger than Inter Milan, Tite won´t leave before December, and we want to start negotiations to renew his contract as soon as possible."

Bolivia - 14 runde

Et stykke tid siden, sidste bolivianske update.

Oriente Petrolero fører rækken, 2-1 blev det sidst over Real Potosí, Rodrigo Vargas og Alejeandro Melean med målene for hjemme holdet.

http://www.youtube.com/w…VeqTdvZmXNM

rækkens nr 2 er Bolivar der vandt lokalderbiet over bundproppen La Paz FC med 3-1, et resultat der betyder man nu er 1 point efter med en kamp i hånden.

http://www.youtube.com/w…VeqTdvZmXNM

Rækkens nr 3 og 4 henholdsvis Jorge Wilstermann og Universitario spillede begge uafgjort. Los Cochabambinos 1-1 ude mod Nacional Potosí - Augusto Andaveris med en scoringen for Wilster. universitario måtte hjemme i Sucre nøjes med 0-0.

http://www.youtube.com/w…qFRrSauTlKs

Mestrene fik The Strongest har haft en skuffende sæson i Ligaen, men fik dog reddet et uafgjort resultat hjemme i den sværere udekamp mod San José - Luis Melgar med mål for de tredobbelte mestre og Carlos tordoya med udligning for hjemme holdet.

http://www.youtube.com/w…Kq2RY3WnnKU

History Boys: Humiliation in San Juan has Bianchi´s Boca on the ropes

It was their birthday. 100 candles had been lit, one for each year spent in the Argentine top flight. Carlos Bianchi, the most successful coach in the club’s history, had returned to the dugout. Qualification for the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores – the competition that had defined that coach and this club – had been sealed earlier in the week. It was supposed to be a celebration. One in which they could recall a great history. For Boca Juniors, this whole season is about history.

But after an hour in San Juan on Saturday afternoon, Boca were writing history of a very different kind. When Sebastian Penco was left completely unmarked to head home from six yards, it was to net San Martin’s sixth of the afternoon. Inside an hour they had doubled their tally for the entire season, leaving themselves half an hour to grab the goal that would equal the biggest defeat in Boca’s history – a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Independiente in 1940.

Things had gotten real for Bianchi’s boys. “The feeling has become a reality,” wrote Claudia Villapun in Olé. “Every time San Martin attack, you feel they will score.” The feeling had been there all season. But now it was more than that. Boca were hammered 6-1, a result that probably flattered them. “It’s very sad,” said full-back Celemente Rodriguez as he ambled off the field. “We have never experienced anything like this [before].”

Neither had San Martin. It was their first win in of the season. Their first in 16 games. Their first ever over Boca. “Resultado histórico,” yelled TV Publica. Simply “Histórico” ran the headline in local newspaper El Zona.

“It’s the type of game you dream of,” said hat-trick hero Humberto Osorio. “Thank you, God.” His thanks may well have been directed: just three days previously the club called a catholic priest to bless the pitch at the Estadio Ingeniero to help them in their relegation fight.

Bianchi labelled the result an “embarrassment”, but this defence has been embarrassing itself all season. After conceding eleven goals in their opening six games of the season – including seven in three home matches – a glance at the stats may have suggested that coach Carlos Bianchi had since managed to address his side’s defensive frailties after giving up just two goals in their last six outings. But the numbers only tell you so much.

His side were extremely fortunate not to concede in the 1-0 victory that kicked off that pattern, when Ivan Alonso missed a first-half penalty for Nacional in Montevideo. They were pummelled by Independiente for 90 minutes but somehow escaped with a 1-1 draw, and were left desperately hanging on towards the end of a 1-0 victory over Barcelona of Ecuador.

Individual errors and chaos and confusion at the heart of their defence have plagued the season so far; with the former quite clearly the result of the latter. Whether it’s Chiqui Perez hauling down strikers and seeing red, Guillermo Burdisso playing in the opposition, Christian Cellay ignoring his marking duties, full-back Franco Sosa shepherding runners towards the colossal void he repeatedly leaves inside, Oscar Ustari letting weak shots straight through him, or Matias Caruzzo ignoring defending all together, everyone’s been singled out. Everyone’s making mistakes. And when everyone is making mistakes, there can only be one person to blame.

This Boca couldn’t be further from the staunch, organised sides that Bianchi moulded en route to three Copa Libertadores and two world titles between 1998-2004. Serious questions are being asked of a man who – a brief and unsuccessful five months with Atletico Madrid aside – hasn’t worked since.

Yet regardless of how much the game may have developed in almost a decade since then, the fundamentals certainly have not. Tracking runners, holding an offside line, attacking the ball when defending set pieces – Boca have repeatedly failed at all of the above since his return, leaving many wondering whether El Viceroy has lost the ability to communicate with his players. "There is no leadership," ran an editorial in La Nación. "Some of the players don´t have the personality to be at Boca; others think (wrongly) that if they win, the credit will only go to Bianchi and Riquelme. And the mental state [of a team] comes before any system or methodology."

“I apologize to all the Boca fans for this defeat, which they do not deserve,” said Bianchi in a carefully-worded statement. “I accept full responsibility.”

Fourth from bottom with just one win in nine, Boca’s league form will be forgiven; Bianchi’s pedigree will continue to buy him time, more than would be afforded anyone else – a poll in Argentina´s best-selling sports daily on Monday revealed that just 28% of the fans blame the coach for what’s happening on the field.

A similar result on the continent would be impossible even for him to survive, however. The club are obsessed with claiming their seventh Libertadores title, the one that would drag them level with Independiente as the most successful team in the history of the tournament. They want more history. That’s why he’s here.

Thus far, however, Carlos Bianchi’s pursuit of history appears more likely to end up destroying a legacy.

Botafogo report AC Milan to FIFA over unpaid fees

Botafogo have made official complaints to governing bodies FIFA and UEFA over unpaid training fees made by AC Milan in relation to Sergio Luiz Ceregatti´s transfer in 2010.

The Serie A giants reportedly owe Botafogo in the region of €300,000 in overdue fees after they signed former academy starlet Ceregatti in 2010.

The fee in dispute relates to training compensation as Botafogo say they trained the player for the required four years for the compensation scheme to kick into place.

However, The Italian club is contesting that claim, and has argued that its liability should be restricted to a sum of €61,250 paid to the Brazilians in May 2011, following an initial challenge over unpaid training compensation.

"It is currently open before FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber a claim lodged by Botafogo against AC Milan in relation to the payment of Ceregatti´s training compensation,” said Milan director Lorenzo Cantamessa.

Sygt......

A Brindisi le robaron durante una nota

BUENOS AIRES -- El nuevo DT de Independiente, Miguel Angel Brindisi, fue asaltado esta tarde mientras daba una entrevista a un programa radial partidario, y le robaron la billetera y el reloj.

Brindisi "fue asaltado mientras dialogaba con Infierno Rojo Radio, vía comunicación telefónica", dijo el sitio de Internet de ese programa.

´Infierno Rojo Radio´ añadió que "junto a él se encontraba su ayudante Carlos Squeo y le robaron la billetera y el reloj", tras lo cual aseguró que ambos "están bien".

"River es el único grande que pelea"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de River, Ramón Díaz, sacó pecho al afirmar que su equipo es "el único grande que pelea el título", y dijo estar "sorprendido" por la lacerante goleada 6-1 que sufrió Boca ante San Martín de San Juan.

El técnico también se quejó por el fallo arbitral que el sábado favoreció a Lanús, el único puntero del torneo Final.

"De los equipos grandes, el único que está peleando es River. Los demás me parece que están descartados", dijo Ramón sobre su conjunto, que está a cuatro puntos de Lanús, y pese a que Racing tiene tres puntos menos que sus dirigidos.

Consultado sobre si estaba sorprendido por la histórica caída de Boca en San Juan, respondió: "A todo el mundo futbolístico, que los grandes pierdan de esta manera nos sorprende. Y más conociendo a Bianchi, que es un estratega. Fue duro para la gente, imaginate para ellos".

Al cuestionar el arbitraje de Mauro Giannini, quien le anuló un gol legítimo a All Boys en el partido del sábado ante Lanús, sostuvo que "fue todo muy raro".

"Todos los equipos están protestando con respecto a los árbitros. Ojalá que todo esto pueda cambiar para el bien de todos", comentó.

Por otro lado, Ramón dijo haber quedado conforme con la actuación de River en el empate 1-1 del domingo ante Arsenal. "En el primer tiempo estuvimos bastante bien y desperdiciamos algunas situaciones. Y en el segundo, no jugando a un gran nivel, también lo pudimos haber ganado. Tuvimos un par de chances, por ahí no fuimos tan contundentes como la semana pasada, pero me gustó", argumentó.

A su vez, indicó que "sería bueno" ganarle a Godoy Cruz el domingo en Mendoza "para ponernos definitivamente arriba".

También se mostró confiado en que Leonardo Ponzio, quien sufrió un desgarro ante Arsenal, pueda llegar al Superclásico del 5 de mayo ante Boca en la Bombonera. "Tenemos mucha confianza en el doctor, ha recuperado jugadores rápidamente", expresó sobre la situación de Ponzio.

Riquelme piensa en "jugar bien"

MÉXICO -- Juan Román Riquelme, centrocampista de Boca Juniors, declaró el martes que su equipo buscar sumar puntos ante el Toluca mexicano, para enfrentar en una mejor posición el sorteo de los octavos de final de la Copa Libertadores.

El Toluca y Boca Juniors, integrantes del Grupo 1, se enfrentarán en la sexta y última jornada de la fase del grupos de la competición en la que el equipo argentino ha sido seis veces campeón.

"Para nosotros es importante intentar jugar bien, mejorar y después veremos cuando esté el sorteo contra quién nos toca", dijo Riquelme a medios mexicanos.

"Nosotros estamos contentos, ya clasificamos (a octavos), es lo que queríamos y a ver si mañana (miércoles) podemos hacer un buen partido", añadió.

Riquelme, de 34 años, recordó que estuvo en México en el 2001 cuando Boca Juniors jugó la semifinal ante el América y la final ante el Cruz Azul.

"Vine varias veces. Jugamos la final de 2001 con Cruz Azul, así que uno trata de disfrutar mucho, esperemos hacer un buen partido y que la gente que esté en el estadio lo pase muy bien", contó.

Sobre el Toluca, el exjugador del Barcelona y Villarreal españoles consideró que el Toluca tiene grandes jugadores y es un buen equipo.

"Vamos a intentar jugar igual que siempre, hacer un buen partido, ser protagonistas. Debemos tener mucho cuidado con algunos jugadores -del Toluca- que lo hacen muy bien y esperemos hacerlo bien nosotros", comentó.

Boca Juniors, de Carlos Bianchi, viene de perder por goleada por 6-1 ante el San Martín el sábado pasado en la liga argentina, mientras que el Toluca cayó por 2-1 en su visita al Santos Laguna en el Clausura mexicano.

Riquelme comentó que para su hinchada y para el equipo la Copa Libertadores "es lo más importante" y mañana tenemos un partido por delante y ojalá que lo podamos disfrutar", finalizó.