Diego Maradona is still fuming over his side's World Cup exit but could be given a breath of fresh air by Napoli.
Maradona's doctor Alfredo Cahe was initially worried about the legend's health after Argentina's 4-0 thumping by Germany but has revealed that the defeat has no serious implications on his health.
"He is well, but angry with the elimination from the World Cup in South Africa. He is reflecting, but has not fallen into depression," Cahe told Tuttosport.
"He is well, better than I thought he would be. The game against Germany was strange, I thought he would have been in a worse condition.
"I have not seen him as giving up. He is just angry and sad, but he is reflecting."
There have been talks of Maradona quitting his role as Argentina coach and he has been linked with a return to Napoli as coach.
The Vesuviani however, have avoided confirming their interest in the controversial coach.
But Walter Mazzarri, who is the current manager of the club, is looking forward to seeing Maradona at the club as he invites him for a friendly visit.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Brazil's Loss
The Brazilian players didn't have any doubts entering the World Cup, thanks to a team that had won nearly every competition it had played and had added poise and efficiency to its ''Beautiful Game.''
But a bad half against the Netherlands was all it took to derail Brazil's hopes for a record sixth world title. For the second World Cup in a row, Brazil failed to get past the quarterfinals, losing 2-1 to the Dutch despite taking an early lead on Friday in Port Elizabeth.
Four years ago, it was a disappointing loss to France that kept the Brazilians from advancing. But now the players say it feels much worse.
''The loss really hurts this time, much more than in 2006,'' said Kaka, a starter for Brazil in both tournaments. ''This one really got to us, there is a lot of pain, because of all that we had done so far, because of where we thought we could get.''
Brazil arrived as one of the World Cup favorites despite a revamped squad after the tournament in Germany. Dunga had little experience as a coach, but he gave Brazil a new style that quickly produced significant results.
Under the command of the former defensive midfielder, Brazil won the 2007 Copa America and the 2009 Confederations Cup, and beat Argentina, Italy, England and Portugal in friendlies. The country also won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished first in South American World Cup qualifying.
Brazil also had a solid start in South Africa, beating North Korea 2-1 and Ivory Coast 3-1 before being held 0-0 by Portugal. It played its best match in the 3-0 win over Chile in the second round to setup the clash with the Dutch.
The expectations were high back home and among the players.
''It was a shock to everyone,'' Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar said of the loss. ''We knew the fans had a lot of hope that we would win this time.''
Robinho gave Brazil an early lead at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, but Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder scored twice in the second half to eliminate the Brazilians.
Midfielder Felipe Melo is leaving South Africa taking much of the blame for the loss. After a remarkable pass to contribute to Robinho's goal, Melo was involved in both plays that led to the Dutch's goals, then was red carded for an unnecessary foul that left Brazil needing to rally with a man down.
''I have to apologize to the Brazilian fans,'' he said.
The Brazilian defense, which arrived as one of the best in the world with Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio and Juan, also unexpectedly fell apart against the Netherlands, at a terrible time for the five-time champions.
''We know the Brazilian fans are very sad now because of our elimination,'' Kaka said. ''But it's worse for the players, no one is hurting more than we are.''
Dunga made very few changes to the Brazilian squad after taking over following the 2006 World Cup, and players have said all along that the group was much more united than four years ago. Julio Cesar said Dunga was able to put together a ''group of friends, of brothers.''
Every Brazilian player cried in the locker room after the loss, the goalkeeper said.
''Without a doubt everyone was sad, we didn't expect it to end like this,'' Dunga said. ''You could see it in the players' faces. But I'm very proud to have worked with this group.''
Eight players from this year's team were with Brazil when it lost 1-0 to France in 2006, including starters Lucio, Juan, Kaka and Gilberto Silva.
Brazil will likely need another revamping of its squad for the 2014 World Cup at home. It arrived in South Africa with the tournament's oldest squad, and many players will not be returning. Defender Lucio and Juan are probably done, as is midfielder Gilberto Silva after playing in his third World Cup.
But this time it likely won't be Dunga who is responsible for the renovation, as he hinted after the loss to the Netherlands that he will not continue ahead of the national team. He had a four-year contract and will likely not try to extend it.
Finding a new coach might be the first step for Brazil to get over the disappointment in South Africa, but players know it won't be easy.
''Now it's time to go home, hug our relatives and hope time will help us forget what happened,'' Julio Cesar said. ''Only time can do that.''
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Maradona's reaction to the loss
''I may leave tomorrow, but I'd like that these boys continue showing who they are and keep playing real Argentina football,'' said Maradona, looking exhausted and heartbroken.
Asked to clarify his plans, he said ''I'll have to think carefully about it ... and talk with my family, and the players. There are many issues here.''
Maradona, widely considered Argentina's all-time greatest player, was derided back home before the tournament for leading the team by instinct and emotion rather than tactics. He attacked at his critics with a stream of profanities when Argentina qualified for the World Cup at the last minute.
© AP
After three group stage victories and a convincing 3-1 win over Mexico in the round of 16, even his detractors began questioning whether they had underestimated his coaching abilities.
Maradona's affectionate hugs and go-get-'em pep talks seemed to yield better results than the tactical advice handed out by more serious coaches like England's Fabio Capello.
Then Germany came along.
Argentina and Maradona didn't know how to respond when Thomas Mueller's early goal left the South Americans trailing for the first time in the tournament.
Maradona made no changes at halftime, even though his team had struggled throughout the first half, losing possession as soon as it crossed into the German area. He sent on midfielder Javier Pastore for defender Nicolas Otamendi after Germany went up 2-0 and was getting ready to further boost the attack with striker Sergio Aguero when Arne Friedrich made it 3-0.
With the game virtually over, Maradona hugged Aguero - his son-in-law - and clung to him as the Germans celebrated.
''This is the most difficult experience of my life, because to (lose) in front of so many good players, such good people, such good professionals is like getting punched by Muhammad Ali,'' he said. ''I don't have any energy left.''
He said he'd only felt similar emotions in life on the day he retired from soccer.
Still, Maradona didn't accept any blame for the crushing defeat, and lashed out at a reporter who questioned whether his critics in Argentina might be satisfied with the loss.
''Are you joking,'' he said. ''This is a country where you live and breathe football. I don't think that anyone will be happy when the team loses 4-0.''
Asked to clarify his plans, he said ''I'll have to think carefully about it ... and talk with my family, and the players. There are many issues here.''
Maradona, widely considered Argentina's all-time greatest player, was derided back home before the tournament for leading the team by instinct and emotion rather than tactics. He attacked at his critics with a stream of profanities when Argentina qualified for the World Cup at the last minute.
© AP
After three group stage victories and a convincing 3-1 win over Mexico in the round of 16, even his detractors began questioning whether they had underestimated his coaching abilities.
Maradona's affectionate hugs and go-get-'em pep talks seemed to yield better results than the tactical advice handed out by more serious coaches like England's Fabio Capello.
Then Germany came along.
Argentina and Maradona didn't know how to respond when Thomas Mueller's early goal left the South Americans trailing for the first time in the tournament.
Maradona made no changes at halftime, even though his team had struggled throughout the first half, losing possession as soon as it crossed into the German area. He sent on midfielder Javier Pastore for defender Nicolas Otamendi after Germany went up 2-0 and was getting ready to further boost the attack with striker Sergio Aguero when Arne Friedrich made it 3-0.
With the game virtually over, Maradona hugged Aguero - his son-in-law - and clung to him as the Germans celebrated.
''This is the most difficult experience of my life, because to (lose) in front of so many good players, such good people, such good professionals is like getting punched by Muhammad Ali,'' he said. ''I don't have any energy left.''
He said he'd only felt similar emotions in life on the day he retired from soccer.
Still, Maradona didn't accept any blame for the crushing defeat, and lashed out at a reporter who questioned whether his critics in Argentina might be satisfied with the loss.
''Are you joking,'' he said. ''This is a country where you live and breathe football. I don't think that anyone will be happy when the team loses 4-0.''
Friday, July 2, 2010
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Dhoni Ready to tie Knot
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will tie the knot with childhood friend Sakshi Singh Rawat in a hush-hush ceremony on Sunday night at a farmhouse about 40km from Dehradun.
The 28-year-old wicket-keeper batsman got engaged to Sakshi, a 23-year-old hotel management student, at a private ceremony last night.
The wedding is also expected to be a private affair with only very close family members and friends, including Dhoni's teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, among those attending.
BCCI bigwigs including President Shashank Manohar are also expected to attend the wedding.
Although family sources had indicated after the engagement that the marriage will take place in October, India's tight schedule in the next few months might have prompted the preponement.
Despite being a private ceremony, the wedding will have its share of glamour as Dhoni's Bollywood friend John Abraham is reportedly here to attend the marriage.
The couple is expected to host a reception in Mumbai on July 7, which also happens to be Dhoni's 29th birthday.
Dhoni and Sakshi, who hails from Aurangabad, had been school friends at DAV, Shamily in Ranchi.
"Their fathers worked together in MECON, and the Rawats moved to Dehradun after retirement," a family friend said.
The Indian captain is currently enjoying a rare break from international cricket and will be next seen in action during a three-Test series against Sri Lanka scheduled to begin from July 18 at Galle.
Dhoni, who made his international debut against Bangladesh in December 2004, has so far played 43 Tests, 166 ODIs and 25 T20s.
Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Cup Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08, and the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 beating Australia 2-0.
He also captained Chennai Super Kings to victory in this year's Indian Premier League. He is now captain of India in all three forms of the game, leading the team to its first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Under his leadership, India attained the number one status in Test cricket and became number two this year in ODI rankings.
Dhoni has also been the recipient of ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian to achieve this feat). He was bestowed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009.
The 28-year-old wicket-keeper batsman got engaged to Sakshi, a 23-year-old hotel management student, at a private ceremony last night.
The wedding is also expected to be a private affair with only very close family members and friends, including Dhoni's teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, among those attending.
BCCI bigwigs including President Shashank Manohar are also expected to attend the wedding.
Although family sources had indicated after the engagement that the marriage will take place in October, India's tight schedule in the next few months might have prompted the preponement.
Despite being a private ceremony, the wedding will have its share of glamour as Dhoni's Bollywood friend John Abraham is reportedly here to attend the marriage.
The couple is expected to host a reception in Mumbai on July 7, which also happens to be Dhoni's 29th birthday.
Dhoni and Sakshi, who hails from Aurangabad, had been school friends at DAV, Shamily in Ranchi.
"Their fathers worked together in MECON, and the Rawats moved to Dehradun after retirement," a family friend said.
The Indian captain is currently enjoying a rare break from international cricket and will be next seen in action during a three-Test series against Sri Lanka scheduled to begin from July 18 at Galle.
Dhoni, who made his international debut against Bangladesh in December 2004, has so far played 43 Tests, 166 ODIs and 25 T20s.
Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Cup Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08, and the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 beating Australia 2-0.
He also captained Chennai Super Kings to victory in this year's Indian Premier League. He is now captain of India in all three forms of the game, leading the team to its first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Under his leadership, India attained the number one status in Test cricket and became number two this year in ODI rankings.
Dhoni has also been the recipient of ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian to achieve this feat). He was bestowed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Lalit Modi's DownFall - A lesson for others
Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is paying the price for his "autocratic" style of functioning and his potential downfall is a lesson for administrators in similar position, according to former South African cricket boss Dr Ali Bacher.
Bacher said Modi had no doubt played a part in making the Indian Premier League an extraordinary success but his tendency to take unilateral decisions ultimately paved his downfall.
"There is no doubt that the IPL is an extra-ordinary success but his style of functioning created a lot of resentment among the other Board members. You cannot ignore the others for too long. You cannot vest all the powers on one person", Bacher told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
"He (Modi) was an opportunist and his potential downfall is a lesson for persons in similar position. He is paying the price for all that now", he said.
Bacher, whose company was involved in installing floodlights in some of the IPL venues, said his payments were delayed for over 15 months as the organisers and the host association kept dilly-dallying on the payment issue.
"I met Modi and he assured me that the payment will be done. Though the payment was delayed, he kept his word with me," Bacher, who was the Managing Director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa from 1991 to 2000, said.
Bacher also criticised Modi for trying to take credit for innovating the Twenty20 format of the game, saying the shortest format of the game started in England and had become quite popular there.
The former administrator said that while T20 cricket had become popular, it was imperative to strike the right balance among all the three formats when the calendars are drawn.
"There is too much cricket being played these days. The top teams play too much and that is certainly a concern.
Everything has to be balanced. T20 is popular, but if we play too much it will be a problem", he said.
Bacher, who was largely responsible for bringing South Africa back into international cricket following the apartheid era, is concerned that the South African system is no longer producing quality black cricketers.
"After the retirement of (Makhaya) Ntini, not many black cricketers are making it to the national squad on merit. If this trend continues for some more years, it could pose a lot of problems", he reckoned.
"May be the development programmes have lost its impetus.
More needs to be done to bring the desired results. Eighty percent of the population are black Africans and it is important that we have more black cricketers", he said.
Bacher singled out batting great Sachin Tendulkar for special praise among contemporary cricketers, saying he was one of the greatest cricketers of all time and a "big asset" for Indian cricket.
"Sachin has never changed, he is truly great...He is a great asset to Indian cricket and world cricket. The ICC should make him the game's ambassador after his retirement. He is always going to be special", he said.
Bacher said Modi had no doubt played a part in making the Indian Premier League an extraordinary success but his tendency to take unilateral decisions ultimately paved his downfall.
"There is no doubt that the IPL is an extra-ordinary success but his style of functioning created a lot of resentment among the other Board members. You cannot ignore the others for too long. You cannot vest all the powers on one person", Bacher told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
"He (Modi) was an opportunist and his potential downfall is a lesson for persons in similar position. He is paying the price for all that now", he said.
Bacher, whose company was involved in installing floodlights in some of the IPL venues, said his payments were delayed for over 15 months as the organisers and the host association kept dilly-dallying on the payment issue.
"I met Modi and he assured me that the payment will be done. Though the payment was delayed, he kept his word with me," Bacher, who was the Managing Director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa from 1991 to 2000, said.
Bacher also criticised Modi for trying to take credit for innovating the Twenty20 format of the game, saying the shortest format of the game started in England and had become quite popular there.
The former administrator said that while T20 cricket had become popular, it was imperative to strike the right balance among all the three formats when the calendars are drawn.
"There is too much cricket being played these days. The top teams play too much and that is certainly a concern.
Everything has to be balanced. T20 is popular, but if we play too much it will be a problem", he said.
Bacher, who was largely responsible for bringing South Africa back into international cricket following the apartheid era, is concerned that the South African system is no longer producing quality black cricketers.
"After the retirement of (Makhaya) Ntini, not many black cricketers are making it to the national squad on merit. If this trend continues for some more years, it could pose a lot of problems", he reckoned.
"May be the development programmes have lost its impetus.
More needs to be done to bring the desired results. Eighty percent of the population are black Africans and it is important that we have more black cricketers", he said.
Bacher singled out batting great Sachin Tendulkar for special praise among contemporary cricketers, saying he was one of the greatest cricketers of all time and a "big asset" for Indian cricket.
"Sachin has never changed, he is truly great...He is a great asset to Indian cricket and world cricket. The ICC should make him the game's ambassador after his retirement. He is always going to be special", he said.
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