Reyes: I Want To Stay With Atlético

José Antonio Reyes has stated that he has no intention of leaving Atlético de Madrid despite the club making it clear that he is not part of their plans next term.



Benfica are the latest club to express an interest in the former Real Madrid wideman, following links with Roma and Monaco in previous weeks that have yet to materialise into anything concrete.

Coach Javier Aguirre wants to bring in one more midfielder and in order to make space in his squad he is keen to see Reyes moved on before the Champions League qualifiers in August.

Reyes has other ideas however, and he intends to remain at the club that he joined last season instead of making his move to Madrid a permanent one.

"I have three years left on my contract and I intend to stay," he told reporters after Atleti's latest encounter in Mexico.

Along with seeing Reyes leaving the club, Aguirre is also keen to Maniche to leave as soon as possible after the pair have to reconcile their differences.

An argument in training last season saw the Portuguese midfielder's time at the club cut short and he was sent on loan to Inter in the winter transfer window.

Now he has been told that he is not wanted and both the player's agent and Atlético are actively looking to find him a new club to join.

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Guardiola Is Creating A Great Team - Iniesta

Andrés Iniesta hailed Pep Guardiola's effect at Barcelona after the new coach's first week in charge at Camp Nou during the presentation of his player of the season award.



The Blaugrana playmaker has been impressed with the trainer in his first seven days at the helm and believes that the good times are set to return to the Catalan club.

Guardiola took his first training session last Monday and has alreayd implemented several different ideas to his predecessor Frank Rijkaard.

During the ceremony that saw Iniesta given the fans' player of the year award for last term, he stated: "Guardiola is creating a great team.

"I hope that this year Barça can enjoy the same sort of success that I tasted with the Spanish team."

On the international front, Iniesta believes that Vicente del Bosque will implement a successful system and is confident of enjoying more glory with Spain.

"I hope he has the luck to be able to continue to be successful like we did at the European Championships," he added.

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Liverpool Linked With PSG Forward

There are reports from France that Liverpool have made an offer for Paris St Germain striker David Ngog.



David Ngog, 19, the cousin of former Rangers and Newcastle defender, Jean-Alain Boumsong, is reportedly a target for Liverpool.

The young striker has turned down the offer of a new contract with the French capital club, and PSG coach Paul Le Guen has told him he can leave if the rightr offer is received.


“He has one year left on his contract,” Le Guen said. “If a bid is made to us we’ll study it.”

Liverpool's French scout, Laurent Viaud, has recommended Ngog to Rafael Benitez, and been told that PSG will be looking for £1.5million for the forward.

Ngog made 19 appearances for PSG last season.

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Boulahrouz heads for Stuttgart

Dutch international defender Khalid Boulahrouz is set to join Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart, Chelsea announced on Monday.

An undisclosed transfer fee has been agreed for the 26-year-old, who joined Chelsea in 2006 but spent last season on loan at Sevilla, the club said.

"We would like to thank Khalid for his contribution while he was at Chelsea FC and we would like to wish him luck at his new club," said a brief statement on Chelsea's website.

Boulahrouz earned the nickname 'Cannibal' at former club Hamburg for his uncompromising style.

Last month he was hit by the death of his premature baby daughter, prompting the Netherlands to wear black armbands during their UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-final against Russia.

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Will Ronaldinho return to his best?

One of the greatest players of his generation, Ronaldinho, finally put pen to paper with AC Milan this week to put an end to an unhappy final season with Spanish giants Barcelona. The big question remains for fans of the Rossoneri and the great man himself: can he regain the scintillating form of old on Italian soil?

With all of the fanfare surrounding the Brazilian's arrival at the San Siro this week, one might think AC Milan were welcoming a conquering hero at the peak of his form. However, despite moments of inspiration, the fact remains that Ronaldinho will be looking to revive his career at the San Siro after arguably his worst year in the game.

He went from proverbial hero to zero last year at Barcelona's fabled Camp Nou. After helping the side to consecutive La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League crown in 2006, last season was a nightmare for the Brazilian maestro and twice FIFA World Player of the Year. Plagued by injuries and looking a shadow of his former self, the 28-year-old was considered by many to have passed his peak.

Now with AC Milan having shelled out around $30 million, the skill merchant will be keen to show that rumours of his demise are greatly exaggerated. Allowed to take part in the Olympic Games with Brazil in Beijing, Ronaldinho will be hoping to put the trademark grin back on his face by the time he begins his first season in Serie A.

So now it's over to you. Give us your opinion on the situation. Do you think Ronaldinho can regain that magical form of old, or will he continue to decline? Share your opinion with other all4all-m.blogspot.com visitors and explain why AC Milan will be the perfect locale for Ronnie's indulgent trickery, or why you think he will continue to struggle with form and fitness.

Remembering to keep your comments clean, respectful and in English, please click 'Post a Comment' to let us know whether or not you think Ronaldinho can revive his career in Milan.

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Hassan strike lifts Ahly over Zamalek

Ahli maintained their supremacy over arch-rivals Zamalek after claiming a 2-1 victory over the Whites in the Champions League group stage opener on Sunday.


Debutant Ahmed Hassan scored the winner as Al-Ahly edged bitter rivals Zamalek 2-1 Sunday in the all-Egypt highlight of the opening CAF Champions League group matches. The midfielder with the movie star looks struck after 67 minutes of the Group A clash by running on to a short free kick and firing the ball past goalkeeper Abdelwahed al-Sayed.

Hassan led Egypt to a record sixth African Cup of Nations title in Ghana last February and joined the five-time African champions from Belgian club Anderlecht in mid-year.

Unfancied Zamalek had equalised just five minutes before at Cairo Stadium as a Gamal Hamza drive from outside the penalty area took a deflection off Wael Gomaa en route to the net. Ahly went ahead 28 minutes into the first half when Felisberto 'Gilberto' Amaral intercepted a weak pass and crossed for fellow Angolan Flavio Amado to score with a snap shot.

The match followed an identical pattern to the other match in the stronger of two mini-leagues with Dynamos of Zimbabwe opening and closing the scoring in a 2-1 triumph over ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast in Harare earlier Sunday.

Victory maintained the supremacy of Ahly over their greatest rivals with only one loss in the last 13 meetings between the 'Red Devils' and the 'White Knights' of Zamalek, who have also been African champions five times.

Ahly surprisingly included striker Emad Moteab despite his recent transfer to English Championship club Bristol City, but he was comfortably contained in a game of few scoring chances. Ghanaian striker Junior Agogo, who quit Championship outfit Nottingham Forest for Zamalek, also toiled fruitlessly and was substituted after 75 minutes by new German coach Reiner Hollman.

Sharing Cairo Stadium means Ahly and Zamalek will play four of their six matches at home and they remain favourites to reach the semi-finals at the expense of Dynamos and 1998 champions ASEC. Ahly travel to ASEC at the beginning of next month while Zamalek host surprise packets Dynamos.

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Are FIFA and the UN ganging up on SA?

A week ago in the UNSC, South Africa voted against sanctions for Zimbabwe's leaders. The resolution was defeated with the help of China and Russia. The BBC described SA as a Zimbabwe ally pleased with the outcome. The result angered the US and England, the prime movers behind the resolution. In the balance was the marginalization of the Mugabe government which has used violence and intimidation resulting in the deaths of many opposition supporters to remain in power.

A more low key but equally important build up to the vote was taking place on the sidelines as Sepp Blatter through his surrogate, Jeroen Valcke expressed concern at the deterioriating conditions in Zimbabwe which could impact preparations for the 2010 World Cup. Blatter had previously reassured Danny Jordaan that only a natural catastrophe would be cause for the World Cup to be removed elsewhere but in a twist he also mentioned that there was a Plan B with three countries that could be counted on to host the Cup within a year. In his meeting with Jordaan, Valcke had this to say:

'It would have been nice for South Africa, with all the other challenges they are facing, not to have the problem of Zimbabwe on top of it all. We add our voice to concerns and we fully support what is being done by all international organisations,' Valcke said.

Valcke's statement can't be read as anything more than disappointment at Thabo Mbeki's quiet diplomacy which most Western observers reject as tacit support and ineffectual in changing Mugabe's behaviour. They are now rapidly advocating more interventionist tactics, like sanctions and military force.

It is clear that FIFA favours more pro-active tactics for solving the Zimbabwe problem. Even Danny Jordaan has voiced his frustration at Mbeki's go slow approach. Some observers conjecture that Mugabe is on his way out as Mbeki's powers wane and Jacob Zuma asserts control. SA's powerful trade unions are vehemently against Mugabe and a few months ago, the dock workers refused to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying arms destined for Zimbabwe.

Sepp Blatter with the backing of Western Europe (the countries that fill FIFA's coffers with billions in TV and ad revenues) could use the World Cup as a carrot to force Mbeki to abandon Mugabe and force him off the stage, ultimately proving more effective than all the protests, sanctions, and threatened use of military intervention. A huge breach in SA's sovereignty but surely a small price to pay to keep the World Cup.

And how could he do this? FIFA, under Sepp Blatter is now a powerful potentate with many more member countries than the UN and which in the past, has had its way with Africa.

It employs thin skinned retaliatory tactics when dealing with African delegates or resorts to heavy handed suspensions of countries from international competitions for perceived political interference in their national associations. Even FIFA's support of country over club competitions is a capricious artifice when it comes to African players.

So who suspends FIFA for political interference? No one dare.

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