MADRID AFP — Cristiano Ronaldo was supposed to be Real Madrid's secret weapon this season but the reigning Spanish champions must shrug off the disappointment of failing to capture the Portuguese sensation. And now Real will be focusing on securing a third straight league title for the first time...
ROME AFP — Fiorentina know they still have lots to do to reach the group stage of the Champions League ahead of Wednesday's final qualifying round return at Slavia Prague even though the Italians carry a 2-0 advantage from the first leg. After being outclassed in Florence two weeks...
THE HAGUE, Netherlands AFP — Dutch midfielder Evander Sno has moved from Celtic to Ajax, the club where he started his career, on a three-year-contract, the Dutch club said on its website Thursday. The 21-year-old trained at the Amsterdam club before transfering to Feyenoord then moved to Scotland in...
DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/eea00d/performance_appare) has announced the addition of the "Performance Apparel Markets: Business Update, 2nd Quarter 2008" report to their offering. Extract from update: THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION ITUC HAS CRITICISED THE WORKING CONDITIONS OF SOME MAJOR SPORTSWEAR MANUFACTURERS The International Trade...
MADRID AFP — Brazil international Robinho is determined to join English Premiership side Chelsea but Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon does not want to let him go, Spanish media reported Thursday. The 24-year-old, accompanied by his agent Wagner Ribeiro, met with Calderon on Wednesday to express his desire to...
MADRID AFP — Real Madrid said Monday that Dutch international Wesley Sneijder would be out of action for three months but did not have to undergo surgery after injuring his knee during a match in London. "Sneijder avoids the surgeon," the Spanish champions said on their website after the...
HONG KONG AFP — The Netherlands boosted their Olympic hopes by taking the ING Cup here on Saturday after a 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast, but the African footballers showed they could be a team to fear in Beijing. The Dutch -- who are one of the favourites in...
LONDON AFP — Cesc Fabregas will get the chance to test his belief that Arsenal can revolutionise European football when his side take on Juventus and Real Madrid in the Emirates Cup this weekend. Fabregas believes Arsene Wenger's side have the potential to match the legendary Ajax team of...
PARIS AFP — Former England manager Steve McClaren's new Dutch side FC Twente will play Arsenal in the Champions League third qualifying round later this month. McClaren, who was sacked from the England job after England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, took over at FC Twente in June...
NEW YORK -- Colgate-Palmolive said it has debuted a line of high-performance cleaning products certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment. The Design for the Environment is an EPA standards program that recognizes and encourages the foodservice industry to employ cleaning products that utilize environmentally...
MADRID AFP — Atletico Madrid announced Sunday the signing of Brazilian midfielder Paulo Assuncao from Portuguese first division side Porto for an undisclosed fee. The 28-year-old will join his new teammates at Atletico on Monday, the Spanish club said in a statement posted on its website without specifying the...
MADRID AFP — Spanish first division side Atletico Madrid said Thursday it had signed French striker Florent Sinama Pongolle from Recreativo Huelva for four seasons. The club gave no financial details. Pongolle, 23, scored 22 goals in his 67 appearances for Recreativo over the past two seasons. ...
ROME AFP — Roma captain Francesco Totti's recovery is on schedule and he is expected to be fit to lead his side in the Italian Supercup against Inter Milan on August 24, said Corriere dello Sport Monday. Totti ruptured knee ligaments against Livorno on April 19, ending his season...
BASEL, Switzerland AFP — Dutch captain Edwin van der Sar equalled France's Lilian Thuram's record for appearances in European championships finals with his 16th here on Saturday in the quarter-final with Russia - but it ended in sadness as the Russians won 3-1. The 37-year-old Manchester United star -...
BASEL, Switzerland AFP — Wesley Sneijder may be the one reaping the praise for his attacking play, but to many afficionados eyes it is Rafael van der Vaart who has been the lynchpin in the Dutch success so far at Euro 2008. The 25-year-old SV Hamburg playmaker - known...
LUGANO, Switzerland AFP — Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be fit to play against Russia in Wednesday's crucial Euro 2008 Group D match Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said on Sunday. The 26-year-old Inter Milan marksman was replaced at half-time of Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Spain - in which he...
ATHENS AFP — Dutchman Henk ten Cate, who was Avram Grant's right-hand man at Chelsea last season, was named as the new coach of Greek side Panathinaikos on Friday. "I'm delighted to have reached an agreement with Panathinaikos. In my career I have been used to working at the...
LAUSANNE, Switzerland AFP — Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has never been one to protest by refusing to play as several of his compatriots have done down the years, preferring instead to resorting to quiet diplomacy to smooth things over with the man in charge of the 'Oranje'. ...
SALZBURG, Austria AFP — Angelos Charisteas joined other more mythical Greek heroes when he headed the winning goal at the Euro 2004 final against hosts Portugal - but since then he has sunk careerwise into the equivalent of Hades. The 28-year-old could well be described as much-travelled, which is...
YOKOHAMA, Japan AFP — Newly-signed Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho vowed Saturday to bring more titles to the Serie A champions, saying it was his duty as a big-name manager. "Because I work always in top-level football, in big clubs, the objective is always the same," he told reporters...
