14
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sport
International
McClaren sacked by Wolfsburg Agence France Presse
AFP PHOTO/GLYN KIRK
Chelsea’s Spanish striker Fernando Torres (C) shakes hands with Chelsea’s Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti (R) after being substituted during their English Premier League football match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in London, England on February 6, 2011.
Torres says Chelsea caught out by Reds’ ploy Agence France Presse
BERLIN – Ex-England coach Steve McClaren was on Monday sacked by Bundesliga side Wolfsburg after just seven months in charge with his side just one point off from the relegation zone. The 49-year-old became the first English manager to coach in the Bundesliga last August, but McClaren has been dismissed in the wake of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Hanover, when he criticised star player Diego for missing a penalty. McClaren’s co-trainer Pierre Littbarski will take over as caretaker coach. “We were no longer sure that we could work with Steve McClaren until the end of the season with some stability,” said director of sport Dieter Hoeness in a statement. “We have tried to make things work for as long as possible, but we have lost faith that we can bring success.” Having coached FC Twente to last season’s Dutch title, McClaren took charge of the 2009 Bundesliga champions before the start of the season, but his team have struggled throughout. Despite being given a vote of confidence and allowed to go on a spending spree in January, McClaren’s sacking can be blamed on his team’s league position of 12th — just
a point keeps them from 16th and the bottom three. “Our main concern now is to widen the gap between us and the relegation zone as soon as possible,” said Hoeness. After McClaren sold star striker Edin Dzeko to Manchester City in January for 34 million euros, he splashed Wolfsburg’s cash in a bid to improve his team’s faltering league position. Attacking midfielders Koo Ja-Cheoul of South Korea and Venezuelan Yohandry Orozco, German international Patrick Helmes, Turkish international striker Tuncay Sanli and Jan Polak were all brought in. But Saturday’s defeat was the final straw as McClaren slammed Diego for disregarding the English coach’s order to let Germany striker Patrick Helmes take an 80th-minute penalty, which the Brazilian then missed. “The players argued about it like kids in a playground,” said Hoeness. “And because of that we were beaten in a match that we should never have lost.” McClaren was sacked as England manager after the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008. He was dubbed ‘The Wally with the Brolly’ by the British media after using an umbrella during heavy rain at Wembley in November 2007 during his final game in charge when his team were beaten by Croatia.
LONDON – Fernando Torres has admitted former club Liverpool put one over Chelsea as the Spain striker went goalless on debut for the English champions in a 1-0 defeat by the Reds. Sunday’s match at Stamford Bridge was the Spain striker’s first since he moved from Liverpool to Chelsea for 50 million pounds just days earlier in one of the final acts of the January transfer window. But, having said he’d switched to bolster his chances of gaining top honours, Torres had to endure the embarrassment of being susbtituted after 66 minutes, shorty before Raul Meirelese scored Liverpool’s winner. Defeat left Chelsea a huge 10 points behind leaders Manchester United and all but out of the Premier League title race. Liverpool, for whom Sunday’s result was a fourth straight win without conceding under caretaker manager Kenny Dalglish,
deployed three central defenders to negate the impact of Torres, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. “It was very difficult, Liverpool played a good game, with three at the back,” Torres told Chelsea TV. “We were not expecting that and maybe they took advantage of that. “I think the fair result was the draw, it was unfair to lose that game, but now we are looking forwards to the next game and will keep fighting until the end,” he added. “There are a lot of points still to play (for).” Liverpool fans could not
resist mocking their former hero and when he was substituted some chanted: “You should have stayed at a big club.” Torres meanwhile insisted he’d been happy with his reception from the Chelsea crowd. “Obviously everyone wants to win, especially if it is their first game at home, but I will still have very good memories about my reception here and want to thank all of the Chelsea fans for that nice reception,” he said. “The result was not the best, but we have to keep going and fighting until the end.”
Italians get FIFA ok for their boy from Brazil Agence France Presse
ROME – Inter Milan’s Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta was on Monday given permission by FIFA to play for Italy allowing him to make his debut for them against Germany in Wednesday’s friendly. The 28-year-old - whose ancestors emigrated from Italy to Brazil - had expressed his desire to play for Italy, where he has been based for the past three years first with Genoa and then with Inter. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli
had selected him in the squad for the Germany friendly and was delighted to be able to announce that FIFA had given the green light to Motta, who had represented junior Brazil teams but had not played for the senior side. “The permission from FIFA for Thiago being able to play for the national side arrived this morning,” said Prandelli. “I find it fantastic that players who aren’t born in this country are demanding to put on the azzurri shirt. “I call up those who deserve to be selected, and I am rising above
the tirades over the multi-ethnic make-up of the national team, because those type of attacks do no good, not only for the image of our sport, but also Italy’s.” Prandelli, who replaced Marcello Lippi after the debacle of their World Cup defence last year, has already selected a non Italy-born player before, Italo-Argentinian Cristian Ledesma. The most celebrated crossover was Argentinian-born wing Mauro Camoranesi, who was on the 2006 World Cup winning side then coached by Lippi.
AP Photo/dapd, Ronny Hartmann
FILE - The Dec. 22, 2010 file photo shows VfL Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren during the German soccer cup round of 16 match betwwen VfL Wolfsburg and Energie Cottbus in Wolfsburg, northern Germany. VfL Wolfsburg announced Monday, Feb 7, 2011 that the club has fired the former coach of the English national soccer team.