Football News » Weekly News » Weekly News 14 2 11
Weekly News 14 2 11
Weekly Soccer News, February 14, 2011
Rooney strike best ever: Ferguson
The plaudits have rolled in for Wayne Rooney's extraordinary winner in the Manchester derby on Saturday.
A combination of on- and off-field anguish has meant England striker Rooney has been a shadow of the player he was 18 months ago so far this season.
But his spectacular overhead kick to secure a 2-1 win for Manchester United over cross-town rivals City was called the best-ever goal at Old Trafford by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rooney added that he thought it was the best of his career. "As soon as I hit it, I knew it was in and it's definitely the best goal I've scored," he said. "It was a special feeling. The fans deserve that from me because I've not had the best of seasons."
Ferguson: We will not shirk challenge
Meanwhile, Ferguson has said that Manchester United will continue to compete with the game's highest spenders despite the debt on the club saddled by the Glazer ownership.
Whereas United failed to spend big in the January transfer window – reportedly missing out on one key signing – Chelsea spent £70 million on Fernando Torres and David Luiz and Manchester City brought in £27m forward Edin Dzeko.
"Billionaire owners have introduced a new world that is turning football on its head," he told United Review. "For our part, we cannot afford to sit in an ivory tower. We have to face the challenge … and it goes without saying that we will not shirk it."
Reports suggest Tottenham winger Gareth Bale could be Ferguson's number one summer transfer target.
Ronaldo to retire
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo, the all-time World Cup finals leading goalscorer with 15 goals, is poised to retire aged 34.
His decision to call time on a brilliant 18-year career in which he played for both Milan clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid has been put down to a succession of injuries and dip in form.
"It's the body that's hurting me," he told Globo television. "The head wants to go on, but the body can't take any more."
However, last week Ronaldo was blamed by supporters for Corinthians' exit from the Copa Libertadores, Latin America's most important competition, and fan violence may have influenced his decision to quit straight away rather than at the end of the season as expected.
FA Cup revamp on the cards
Incoming FA chairman David Bernstein plans to discuss how the English FA Cup – the world's oldest cup competition – could be modernised to fit alongside the increasingly powerful Premier League.
Suggestions so far have included qualification to the Champions League for FA Cup winners, the scrapping of replays, seeding the Premier League clubs to ensure a greater chance of playing smaller clubs and playing games in midweek.
From 2013, the FA Cup final might also be switched from the traditional 3pm kick-off time on Saturday to 5.30pm to accommodate TV audiences around the world.
This season's competition continues this weekend with minnows Crawley Town facing Manchester United at Old Trafford in the fifth round.
FFU suspension threat dropped
FIFA and UEFA will continue to monitor events in Ukrainian football despite dropping their joint threat to suspend the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) and possibly strip the country of its hosting rights for Euro 2012.
Last week, the FFU bowed to UEFA's demands to drop calls for the departure of its long-time president Hrigory Surkis.
"The latest developments are seen positively and that this is an important step forward to unify and strengthen football in Ukraine," the game's governing bodies said in a joint statement.
"Under these circumstances, FIFA and UEFA are convinced that there will be no need to suspend the FFU, but they will continue to monitor the situation over the next few weeks to have the confirmation that the situation in Ukrainian football is definitely stabilised."
Compiled by Marc Fox
|
|
|
|