Journalism of Courage
Cardiff: Wales striker Craig Bellamy will retire from international football at the end of the World Cup qualifying ampaign next week,the 34-year-old said on Tuesday. Bellamy will step down from the national side after next Tuesdays final qualifying match against Belgium. He has won 76 caps for Wales and scored 19 goals since making his debut against Jamaica in 1998. Players come and go and my career has definitely come and gone, he said. I have to do whats best for the national team and this group of players are the future. The next qualifiers,two-odd years,Im not going to see it.
Milan to play behind closed doors
Milan: Italys soccer authorities have ordered AC Milan to play its next game behind closed doors and fined the club 50,000 euros ($67,900) following abusive chants by supporters against southern club Napoli. During Sundays match against Juventus in Turin,hundreds of Milan supporters shouted We are not Neapolitans,a chant the Naples daily Il Mattino said reflected long-standing contempt for the south by northern clubs. In the fiercely territorial world of Italian soccer,abusive rivalry between supporters of clubs in the rich north and those in the poorer south is not uncommon and Milan officials reacted with shock to the verdict by Serie A sporting judges. To say Im furious would be putting it mildly, Adriano Galliani said.
Sunderland hire Poyet as new manager
London: Gus Poyet took charge at Sunderland on Tuesday on a mission to restore unity to the struggling English Premier League club following the divisiveness of Paolo Di Canios brief,stormy reign. Poyets immediate challenge is to produce Sunderlands first victory in the league,with the northeast club bottom with just one point from seven matches.Trust me,believe,connect with the team, Poyet said after signing a two-year contract. We are all together in this. Its important now we stick together. As with Di Canios appointment in March,American owner Ellis Short has hired a man with no previous topflight managerial experience.
Nuremberg sack coach Wiesinger
Berlin: Nuremberg have sacked coach Michael Wiesinger after they failed to win any of their opening eight games in the Bundesliga and slumped to 16th place. It was a difficult decision but one that was in the interest of Nuremberg and we were forced to take it, said sports director Martin Bader. He said last weeks 5-0 home defeat to Hamburg SV was the last straw. Unfortunately our German Cup exit and the five points form eight league games forced us to take this step, he said. Youth coach Roger Prinzen would take over as interim coach before a permanent replacement was found,the club said.
Ghana wants neutral venue for Egypt qualifier
Zurich: Ghana wants a neutral venue for next months crucial World Cup playoff against Egypt,saying its too dangerous to play the game in Cairo. In a letter to FIFA published on its website,the Ghana Football Association said the match should be moved to a safe and secure venue. Our request is premised on the alarming and fast deteriorating security situation in Egypt, Ghana officials wrote. At least 51 people were killed in riots in Cairo last weekend linked to the ousting of elected state president Mohammed Morsi. The GFA said some of its players expressed concern over their safety for the match.
Arsenal pick up monthly EPL awards
London: Arsenals impressive start to the season has been rewarded with Arsene Wenger and Aaron Ramsey scooping the Premier League manager and player of the month awards for September. After a shock 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa on the opening day of the season,Arsenal have climbed to the top of the table thanks to five wins and a draw. During September,Arsenal beat Tottenham,Sunderland,Stoke City and Swansea City,with Ramsey playing a key role with four goals. Arsenal also carried their form into Europe with impressive wins over Marseille and Napoli to open their Champions League campaign.
