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Uruguay - runde 11

På trods af Peñarol´s overbevisende sejr over Nacional i clasico´en - er det stadidigvæk defensor som fører ligaen , lørdag blev det 2-0 over Fénix på en straffespark scoring af Nicolás olivera og en kasse af IgnacioRisso i anden halvleg.

Peñarol er to´er efter sejr over Nacional, mens tredjepladsen tilhører River Plate som på mål afGabriel Leyes og Bruno Montelongo slog Cerro med 2-1.

Nedrykningstruede Central Español hentede en overraskende sejr over Danubio, målscorene Octavio Rivero og Jorge Artigas.

Topscorer Liber Quiñónez scorde 2 gange for Racing i deres 3-2 sejr over Wanderers, men Progeso slog El Tanque Sisley 2-1.

Liverpool og Juventude spillede 2-2 i kamp hvor Paolo Pezzolano og Facundo Barcelo scorede for hjemmeholdet, mens Martin Icart og Matias Alonso scorede for gæsterne.

http://www.youtube.com/w…0r_Nwwri8BM

Clausura Liguilla 2013 schedule announced

The Liguilla quarterfinals´ two local rivalries will kick off the schedule on Wednesday and conclude on Saturday.

The most highly anticipated matchup of the Liguilla quarterfinals will be the first to get underway. Monterrey, who qualified for Liguilla despite finishing in 9th place due to the relegation of 8th placed Queretaro, will host local rivals UANL Tigres in Wednesday´s early game. UNAM Pumas will host Club America later on Wednesday in the lesser of the two local rivalry games in this year´s quarterfinal. Those series both conclude on Saturday.

Atlas, who enjoyed a brilliant resurgence this season by qualifying for the playoffs and avoiding the drop, play Santos Laguna in the early Thursday game. Later on Thursday night, Monarcas Morelia and Cruz Azul renew their rivalry, playing in a playoff series for the first time since winter of 2011. Back in the spring of 2011, their playoff series ended with a massive brawl. The second legs of those series are on Sunday.

Ties are decided by home and away aggregate score. For years, the higher seed was the tiebreaker in Liga MX, but away goals is now the tiebreaker.

Schedule (all times ET)

(1) Tigres vs. (9) Monterrey

Wednesday, 7 pm (Estadio Tecnólogico)
Saturday, 7 pm (Estadio Universitario)

(2) America vs. (7) Pumas

Wednesday, 9 pm (Ciudad Universitaria)
Saturday, 5 pm (Estadio Azteca)

(3) Atlas vs. (6) Santos

Thursday, 7 pm (Estadio TSM)
Sunday, 8 pm (Estadio Jalisco)

(4) Morelia vs. (5) Cruz Azul

Thursday, 9 pm (Estadio Azul)
Sunday, 6 pm (Estadio Morelos)

Godt at se man fortsætter oprydningsarbejdet...

Rio Police Operations to Secure Cristo

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With the FIFA Confederations Cup and World Youth Day (WYD 2013) set to arrive in Rio, the city has seen pacification operations in favelas at the base of Corcovado Mountain. Rio’s 33rd Police Pacification Unit (UPP) will establish a permanent presence in the area and should improve security not only for local residents, but for tourists visiting the world-famous Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue.

Brazil and Rio State flags are raised over Cosme Velho, the route to the Christ the Redeemer statue, as the area is readied for Rio’s newest UPP, photo by Marcelo Horn/Governo do RJ.

On Monday, 420 special forces and military police, including elite BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) tactical teams, entered three favelas under Corcovado, site of the thirty-meter-tall Christ statue.

Police say they occupied the Cosme Velho communities of Cerro-Corá, Guararapes and Vila Cândido quickly with no gunfire or arrests. The new UPP, with 190 military police, should be operational within a month.

Rio Governor Sérgio Cabral said the communities would no longer become a refuge for criminals and that the new UPP would “offer security and peace to residents.”

Police had monitored Cosme Velho for information about traffickers and other criminals that had been flushed there from previously-pacified favelas.

Cosme Velho is the location of the Trem do Corcovado (Corcovado Train), which takes tourists to Christ the Redeemer, and military police were at pains to show that the occupation would afford tourists visiting the statue greater safety, particularly during WYD on July 23rd-28th when Catholics from around the world will gather.

“The Pope’s visit and the increased influx of tourists are why we went in. Intelligence showed that criminals were sheltering here. Now they’ve lost the territory,” military police spokesperson Col Frederico Caldas said.

This year’s WYD will be the first major overseas mission for Pope Francis; it is the first time the event has been held in Brazil and only the second time in Latin America. Special police training exercises have been staged to represent a number of scenarios, including the well-trodden tourist route to see the statue.

In the past, the area has seen those visiting Christ the Redeemer subjected to assaults, including the globally-reported attack on German tourists in April on the Estrada das Paineiras, the vehicle route to the statue.

Police have been quick to reassure both visitors and residents of their continued efforts to improve security and have spoken of unprecedented investment, training and new equipment in the run-up to the events, including the additional training of 4,520 security staff this year.

This year’s Confederations Cup and Catholic WYD events are widely seen as the latest “test runs” for the World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2016.

Hettie Allison, Brazil Manager for MLA TRUE Communications, part of Vero Communications, which was heavily involved in the 2016 Olympic bid, says Rio has made significant security changes:

“Since the UPPs have been installed there has been a noticeable reduction in street crime and visibility of firearms on the streets. There has also been investment in better street lighting [and a] focus on transport infrastructure around the city,” she told The Rio Times.

Rio currently has 32 operational UPPs, with 8,000 officers serving 220 favelas. Over forty UPPs are expected to be installed by the end of 2014, manned by 12,500 officers. The first favela to be occupied by security forces was Santa Marta (aka Dona Marta), also situated near Corcovado Mountain.

Deportivo FAS@

Tak for linksene til Boca Juniors-River Plate optøjerne, og til Wellington Nem, som Napoli efter sigende skulle være intresseret i. Hvor meget kender du egentlig til Wellington Nem? Efter det jeg har set til ham, så virker han helt sikkert til at være en intressant spiller. Han minder lidt om Ricardo Centurion, som Napoli efter sigende også skulle være intresseret i. Jeg må indrømme at hvis jeg skulle vælge imellem Centurion og Wellington, så ville jeg nok vælge Centurion. Men igen, helt sikkert en superspiller.

TR1986

Wellington Nem, tja jeg prøver at undgå at sige alt for meget positivt om Fluminense spillere...Han er blev såvidt jeg ved kåret til årets talent i 2011, spiller offensiv midt/wing, ganske hurtig8som er en tend i disse tid) virker til at have god forståelse for medspillerne, hurtigt på fødderne, hårdt skud, kan godt lide at løbe i dybden, virker til at være lidt etbenet (Venstre fod)...NPATo har ham vist med i sin længe ventet blog om brasilianske talenter, som snart kommer her på bold.dk, Samba kan vel også supplere lidt til beskrivelse...

Apropos Centurion , han er tilbage efter skade nu...tror også han vil passe fint til Napoli, men lad endelig vær´ med at nævne det for Goi, du ved Racing and all ...husk iøvrigt San lorenzo - Boca på lørdag...

Venezuela Primera Division Wrap: Top four stumble

The Venezuela Primera Division top four all slipped up on the weekend, as Zamora held onto first place.

The league leaders were held for a second consecutive time, when their visit to third side Trujillanos ended 0-0 on Sunday.

The point Zamora earned is their lead over second-placed side Deportivo Anzoategui, who fell to a 2-0 loss away to mid-table Real Esppor.

Deportivo Lara could have leapfrogged the lot to join Zamora at the top, but were held to a 3-3 draw on the road to Deportivo Tachira - conceding an 88th-minute equaliser.

Mineros de Guayana closed the gap on the top four, as they moved within three points of Lara with a 4-2 home win over Portuguesa.

Caracas, sixth, made it three straight wins when they beat Monagas 2-1 away.

In other results, Yaracuyanos thrashed Atletico El Vigia 4-0, Estudiantes de Merida beat Aragua 1-0 while Llaneros de Guanare were held 1-1 at home by Zulia.

Deportivo Petare´s home clash against Atletico Venezuela ended goalless.

supplere lige Dibben , som må glæde sig over grundspils sejr til Herediano og at Alajuelense missede play-off...

Costa Rica Primera Division Wrap: Alajuelense miss out on playoff spot

Cartagines have denied Torneo de Invierno champions Alajuelense a spot in playoffs of Costa Rica´s Primera Division with a 1-0 win.

In the final round before the playoffs in Costa Rica´s second half of the season, the Torneo de Verano, Cartagines wrapped up second position in the standings after their win over Alajuelense and the top-of-the table clash between Herediano and Deportivo Saprissa finished scoreless.

Sunday´s results left Herediano top of the table, meaning they will face Perez Zeledon in a two-legged semi-final, while Cartagines will play against Saprissa.

Randall Brenes scored the winner for Cartagines against Alajuelense, who triumphed in the playoffs of the first half of the season.

The result left Alajuelense on 34 points, one point adrift of Perez Zeledon, who lost 1-0 to Uruguay.

In other results in the Primera Division´s final round, San Carlos completed an impressive 4-2 win away to Belen Siglo XXI, Santos de Guapiles thumped Carmelita 4-1 and Puntarenas defeated Limon 2-1.

FIFA impose Blazer ban

FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer has been provisionally banned for financial mismanagement as secretary-general of CONCACAF.

Blazer stepped down as CONCACAF secretary-general in December 2011 and was set to be replaced on FIFA´s ExCo by fellow American Sunil Galati at the end of May.

The decision by FIFA´s Ethics Committee to provisionally ban Blazer from ´any kind of football-related activity´ for 90 days means the 68-year-old New Yorker´s involvement in football administration looks to be over.

FIFA released a statement on Monday, explaining that ethics committee chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert had decided to suspend Blazer because of alleged fraud during his time in charge of CONCACAF, the governing body of football in North and Central America, and the Caribbean.

"Various breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics appear to have been committed by Chuck Blazer and ... a decision on the main issue could not be taken early enough," the statement from FIFA read.

Blazer is accused of, among other things, trying to buy property in the Bahamas with around US$4 million of football funds.

FIFA´s decision against Blazer continues a bad month for high-ranking football administrators.

On April 30, Sri Lanka´s Vernon Manilal Fernando was handed an eight-year suspension by FIFA for unethical behaviour, while football´s world governing body conceded former president Joao Havelange had accepted bribes in the 1990s.

Havelange subsequently gave up his position as honorary president of FIFA.

A week earlier, former CONCACAF president Jack Warner resigned from the Trinidad and Tobago government after being accused of fraud in relation to his football work.

Blazer played a key role in Warner´s fall, having accused the Trinidadian of corruption in the lead up to the election for the FIFA presidency in 2011.

Flamengo deal close for Grêmio forward Marcelo Moreno - report

Flamengo are close to finally completing the deal to take Bolivian forward Marcelo Moreno from Grêmio, providing the Porto Alegre club can agree a deal with the player’s former club Shakhtar Donetsk over outstanding payments.

Moreno, 25, has an agreement in place with the Rio de Janeiro giants but is waiting for the all clear from lawyers to complete the deal, as it is believed that Grêmio, for whom he signed in late 2011, have yet to pay the final installment of the US$7m transfer which is owed later this year.

The deal has been further complication by a longstanding unresolved issue between the two clubs over the transfer of Rodrigo Mendes back at the turn of the century, but this is believed to have now been cleared up.

Moreno enjoyed a decent first year under Grêmio coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo but reacted badly to the signings of Eduardo Vargas and Hernan Barcos in the close season and fell out with the former Real Madrid boss.

Given the impact of the two January signings, and the options of Welliton and Kleber from the bench, Luxemburgo has decided that the Bolivian is surplus to requirements and sanctioned the sale to Flamengo.

Botafogo defender Bolívar praises coach Oswaldo de Oliveira

Defender Bolívar has praised Botafogo head coach Oswaldo de Oliveira after leading them to the Carioca championship.

Bolívar, 32, has become one of the leaders of the team since joining from Internacional in January and has been instrumental in helping guide the young side to their first state title since 2010.

But the former Monaco player believes it is the coach who deserves the most credit.

He told Lancenet: “I think Oswaldo managed to give an identity to the team, which is very compact. Botafogo is a team made up of experienced and new young players, like Dória, Vitinho and Gabriel.”

Bolívar also spoke about the impact he and Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf have had on the group, citing the responsibility they are given by the manager has allowed them to have a real influence.

“I wedged myself in very well with Seedorf, to divide the leadership of the team. Oswaldo gives us the freedom to influence the tactical style of the team.”

After such a strong start to the season Botafogo will now be expected to make a real challenge for the national title when the Brasileirão gets underway later this month.