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Sevilla retain UEFA Cup

Sevilla, which is proudly sponsored by 888.com, won a penalty shoot-out yesterday to lift the UEFA Cup for the second successive season on a heartbreaking night for Espanyol.
When a long-range equaliser by Brazilian substitute Jonatas levelled the match at 2-2 at the end of extra-time, the script appeared to have been written for Barcelona's lesser-known club to clinch their first European trophy after playing for almost an hour with 10 men.
But it was not to be, Sevilla winning an edgy shoot-out 3-1.
The outcome was hard on the Catalans, who had defied the odds to equalise for a second time with five minutes of extra-time to play.
After the 90 minutes had finished with the sides tied at 1-1, Fredi Kanoute's strike appeared to have killed the contest.
But the Andalucians were left stunned when Jonatas let fly from 25 yards and found the bottom corner to send the match to penalties.
It was a goal from nowhere, but no more than Espanyol deserved on a night when they had looked to be on track for victory until they had midfielder Moises Hurtado sent off with just over 20 minutes of regulation time remaining.
Up until then, Espanyol had looked the more likely winners, despite requiring a 28th-minute strike from Albert Riera to cancel out a stunning opening goal by Sevilla's Brazilian midfielder Adriano.
Sevilla's status as short odds favourites to overcome opponents struggling in the bottom half of La Liga was justified by an opening in which Enzo Maresca fired narrowly over the angle of bar and post and Freddie Kanoute went close with a near post header.
Espanyol soon provided a reminder of the dangers of complacency however, after Hurtado was allowed to advance unchecked from midfield to inside 30 yards of goal. The midfielder's drive skidded treacherously off the sodden Hampden turf and Andres Palop did well to gather it low to his right.
With Raul Tamudo jinking to the byline immediately afterwards, Espanyol suddenly looked the more dangerous of the two sides, but their momentum was about to be halted in exhilarating fashion by Adriano.
The corner that Tamudo had won was gathered cleanly by Palop, who immediately sent Adriano racing clear down the left with a huge throw of immaculate accuracy.
The Brazilian's gear changes were too much for a short-staffed Catalan back four and he was unchallenged as he cut into the box and placed a right-foot finish beyond the hopelessly-exposed Gorka Iraizoz and into the far corner.
The brutal simplicity of the goal appeared to underline the perceived gulf in class between the two sides.
Yet within ten minutes, Riera had put Espanyol back on level terms, albeit with the help of a deflection off the boot of Liverpool target Daniel Alves.
Riera had gone past the centreback with ease, cutting in from the left flank, but his hesitation allowed the defender to recover his ground sufficiently to get a touch on the ball, ensuring Palop could not get enough of a contact to push it round the post.
Sevilla hauled Maresca off at half-time to allow Jesus Navas to ply his tricks down the right flank, but it was Espanyol who displayed the greater appetite for victory. (AFP)

Manchester United and NBA Teams to Play at Venetian Macau

The gamblers of Macau casino will soon be able to enjoy much more than fancy casinos. Manchester United and NBA teams have been invited to play at the Venetian Macau.

The massive casino resort will open ahead of schedule in August and is not delayed, according to Las Vegas casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson.

Las Vegas Sands, owned by Adelson, has been negotiating with Britain's Manchester United, one of the most popular soccer teams in the world, to play at the mega-resort. According to William Weidner, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, the negotiations are nearly finished.

He also said that Sands has been talking to the NBA about scheduling exhibition games, but no team names were mentioned.

The Venetian Macau will have a total of 6,000 slot machines and 700 gaming tables. The resort's design will be similar to the Las Vegas Venetian, with canals and gondola rides.

From: Grant Nelson (news.777.com)

West Ham winger ,Etherington, seeks help for gambling

West Ham winger Matthew Etherington is reportedly receiving ongoing help for a gambling addiction at the Sporting Chance clinic.

Etherington said that he had the full support of the club, including manager Alan Curbishley, chairman Eggert Magnusson and the rest of his team-mates.

He said: "I have made a personal decision to take steps to tackle a gambling problem which has developed over recent times.

"As anyone who has suffered an addiction illness will know, this is not a problem that will disappear overnight and the Sporting Chance clinic is playing a key role in my recovery programme."

Etherington has made 17 starts on the Hammers' left winger this season but has failed to have the same impact he achieved last season. This may have led to Curbishley's recruiting of Luis Boa Morte from Fulham.

The Sporting Chance clinic has helped a number of high-profile footballers over the years, including players such as Paul Merson and co-founder Tony Adams.

Peter Kay, chief executive of Sporting Chance, said: "Matthew has been incredibly brave by confronting his problems. It is difficult for players to come forward in the modern climate."

Etherington is not the only Hammers player currently undergoing rehabilitation. Goalkeeper Roy Carroll is believed to have had help from Capio Nightingale clinic a number of months ago to help him with drink and gambling problems.

The Hammers have included both players in their match-day squad to take on Charlton later today.

(From: inthenews.co.uk)

Chelsea launches football channel on YouTube

ChelseaFC becomes the first football/soccer team to cut a broadcast deal with the video content giant YouTube.



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Beckham Unlikely to Return to England

From: The Associated Press

By ROBERT MILLWARD

If David Beckham can score on his surprise return to Real Madrid's lineup, why not a recall for England ? His move to the Los Angeles Galaxy is months away, and England is in trouble in qualifying for the 2008 European Championship.

England coach Steve McClaren still hasn't worked out his best midfield and there's every chance the English (2-1-1), who already trail Croatia (3-0-1) and Russia (2-0-2), will slip behind Israel (2-1-1) and Macedonia (2-2-1) after qualifying resumes on March 24. Only two teams advance from each group.

Judging by England's performance in last week's 1-0 loss to visiting Spain in an exhibition game, McClaren has big problems. So why not swallow his pride and recall the free kick specialist who has played 94 times for England _ 57 as captain?

Don't bet on it.

The problem for Beckham is that McClaren is not the sort of coach who can admit he was wrong. The England coach also believes he has plenty of reasons not to bring him back.

Despite his free kick equalizer in Saturday's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, Beckham had been out of the loop for six games _ since about the time he announced his five-year deal with the Galaxy, a deal said to be worth about $50 million.

A move to Los Angeles puts Beckham 5,500 miles out of McClaren's range and effectively with little chance of playing again for England.

Madrid coach Fabio Capello said he wouldn't select the English midfielder, partly because of his form and partly because of the distractions of his big money move to Major League Soccer. Eventually he relented and Beckham rewarded him with a comeback goal.

How England could do with a free kick goal against Israel.

Beckham's last England goal was at the World Cup in the second round against Ecuador, when he curled a free kick over the wall and inside the near post for the only goal of the game.

Six days later, however, his England career seemingly came to an end.

Nursing ankle and Achilles' tendon injuries, he was taken out in the second half and sat tearfully watching his teammates lose a penalty-kick shootout to Portugal in the World Cup quarterfinals. That was July 1 and McClaren, who took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson after the World Cup, immediately made it clear that the Real Madrid star was not part of his England plans.

McClaren didn't see Beckham fitting in with Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves and Joe Cole in the England midfield and preferred natural wingers who dribble past defenders, which Beckham doesn't do.

Hargreaves and Cole have been sidelined for several months, and McClaren still won't pick Beckham.

The England coach says he has not 'shut the door' on the former captain, but refuses to say whether he has widened it a little.

Even with the problems currently surrounding the England team, McClaren would be unhappy by Beckham's lack of game time for Madrid and alarmed at the media melee that a recall to the national lineup inevitably would create.

McClaren has also been at pains to create his own team rather than the one handed down by Eriksson, who regarded Beckham as his trusted captain.

Capello now says that Beckham is well integrated to the Madrid lineup and he is happy with him. But Beckham would have to virtually play every game for the Spanish club between now and March 24 and score or create several more goals if he were to stand any chance to get back in the England lineup for the Euro 2008 qualifying games against Israel and Andorra.

Even if he did play all those game and score those goals, that still might not satisfy McClaren.

Real Madrid announces transfer of Ronaldo to AC Milan

From: Xinhua News Agency

Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid on Tuesday announced the transfer of its Brazilian star striker Ronaldo to Italian Serie A powerhouse AC Milan.

In a statement, Real Madrid thanked Ronaldo, 30, for his work, and wished him professional success with Milan and luck in his personal life.

Ronaldo was the second superstar to leave Real Madrid in less than 30 days, following former England captain David Beckham who had decided to join the U.S. club the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Milan club president, Adriano Galliani, told media that the team had paid 7.5 million euros (9.75 million U.S. dollars) for Ronaldo's contract, which runs out on June 30, 2008, and that if Milan qualifies for the Champions league, it will pay another half million (650,000 dollars).

"It is breaking my heart, but that is life," Ronaldo told media, leaving Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, after ending his contract with Madrid. "All I wanted to do at Madrid was to please the fans, the people who supported me, all my teammates and my managers."

He added that he had succeeded in pleasing all these audiences, except for one person: current Madrid manager, Italy's Fabio Capello.

Spain's sporting press said that Real Madrid's bosses had been looking for a way to get rid of Ronaldo for some time.

'Rooney prostitute' claim dismissed

From: The Press Association

A grandmother suing The Sun over claims that she had sex with Wayne Rooney while working as a prostitute has had her 750,000 damages claim thrown out of court.

Mother-of-seven Patricia Tierney, 52, denied the claim published in the paper in August 2004 that she was a sex worker at a Liverpool brothel used by the England and Manchester United star.

But at Manchester County Court, it was revealed that Mrs Tierney, from Whiston, Merseyside, had admitted working as a prostitute in a statement to police two years earlier.

She claimed libel damages after saying her photo and the Sun article, headlined 'Don't fancy yours much Wayne' was 'horrible lies' that had destroyed her reputation and her life.

Mrs Tierney, a grandmother of 16, launched the legal battle claiming she had only ever worked as a receptionist at Diva's massage parlour in Liverpool - and had never worked as a prostitute.

Rooney, 21, had been put on notice by the court that he might be called as a witness. But Anthony Hudson, The Sun's barrister, showed the court a police witness statement from May 2002. In it, Mrs Tierney told officers she had sold herself for sex because she needed the money - but kept her job a secret from her family.

She told officers she had a 'dual role' at the parlour, as a receptionist with housekeeping duties. But she added in the statement: 'On other days I would act as a sex worker. My role would be to provide sex services to clients.'

Mr Hudson said Mrs Tierney's claim amounted to 750,000 - 250,000 damages for her and 500,000 legal fees, which the Sun would have had to pay if she won her case. He added: 'Mrs Tierney has deliberately and knowingly engaged in fraudulent conduct, has deceived, and clearly been involved in an attempt to pervert the course of justice.'

Her solicitors withdrew from the case on Friday, after the statement came to light, advising her she could not now win her case.

Mr Justice Christopher Clarke dismissed an application by Mrs Tierney, who represented herself in court, to adjourn the hearing while she sought alternative legal representation. Instead the judge dismissed the case.

Welcome!

Hello Guys,

My name is David and this is my new blog. Let me tell you a little bit about my self: I'm 28 years old. I live in Sweden and I'm truly a soccer fan. My team in England is, how not, Arsenal. I don't miss a game - no matter what is the weather and where it is played. I even flew once to africa just to see Henry and his magnificent friends play on the field. For every game I prepare myself like I'm the one who is going to play. There is no need to say that I spend a lot of money on those games - tickets, flights, accessories etc, but I don't care. Everything for this team!.
My family accept the unusual 'fever' I have. Maybe this is the time to tell you about my family: I have 2 kids - Don (5 years old) and Monica (3 years old) and there is my beatiful wife - kate (27 years old).
In addition to the Premier league I try to follow the Spanish league (my favorite is Barcelona), which I believe is the best in the world.
Basically, I built this blog in order to publish the most important news about the English and the Spanish leagues I find on the net. Enjoy!

Yours,
David