A round-up of today's other soccer news in brief
Macedonian club charged by Uefa
FK POBEDA president Aleksandar Zabrcanec has denied match-fixing allegations after Uefa charged the Macedonian club yesterday with rigging a Champions League match with Armenian rivals FC Pyunik in July 2004.
“We have never been involved in any such affair,” Zabrcanec said after European soccer’s governing body charged him, the club and one of its players with match-fixing.
“You can win or lose, but that’s sport and there was nothing controversial in our defeat to Pyunik,” he said.
“We have been notified by the Macedonian Football Federation that Uefa has started a procedure and we will state our official position on the matter soon.” Pyunik won the first qualifying round tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Uefa said the first-leg in Macedonia, which Pyunik won 3-1, was the match under investigation.
Benitez promises to ‘never forget’
LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez yesterday hugged the relatives of Hillsborough disaster victims and promised his club would “never forget” the loss of 96 fans. Benitez was attending the launch of a song commemorating next month’s 20th anniversary of the disaster.
Some of the city’s best-known musicians have recorded a version of the Kop anthem, The Fields Of Anfield Road, with former Liverpool players and members of the Hillsborough Families Support Group. Benitez said: “I think it’s important to show support for the fans and the families.”
Recalling his first season at Anfield when he first attended a Hillsborough memorial service, he added: “It was very emotional for me, for all the players, it was something we will never forget.”
Nolan to captain Irish under-21s
WATERFORD’S Eddie Nolan will captain the Irish under-21s against Spain this evening at the RSC ahead of Tuesday’s opening game of the new European Championship campaign against Turkey.
Givens has lost Michael Spillane, Shane Lowry and James McCarthy during the build-up to tonight’s game but is hoping to have at least one or two of them back for the competitive encounter with Turkey at Turner’s Cross.
“We’re missing a couple of the lads but what’s important is the fact that we’ve had a bit of time to get some work done and the bulk of the team will be the same against Turkey,” Givens said yesterday.
“They’re the top seeds in our group,” he added, “and if we want to get a result against them then we could do with turning in a good performance against Spain first.”
IRELAND(v Spain): Redmond(Eastwood Town), Coleman(Everton), Nolan(Preston NE), Dennehy(Hereford United), Moloney(Notts Forest), Gleeson(MK Dons), Garvan(Ipswich Town), Meyler(Sunderland), Judge(Plymouth Argyle), O'Shea(Galway United), Sheridan(Motherwell).
Berra may face Netherlands
SCOTLAND officials are confident Christophe Berra (pictured) or Darren Barr will comfortably fill the shoes of Stephen McManus after the Celtic skipper was ruled out of the clash against The Netherlands tomorrow.
McManus remained in Scotland while his team-mates flew to Amsterdam with an ankle injury, but he is hopeful of facing Iceland on Wednesday. With David Weir and Kirk Broadfoot already out, Berra is expected to make his first Scotland start in the World Cup qualifier.
Hicks moves to strengthen position
LIVERPOOL’S co-owner Tom Hicks has moved to strengthen his position at Anfield by putting part of his shareholding in the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team up for sale. The Texan recently reiterated his desire to remain at Liverpool, which he has owned alongside his compatriot George Gillett since February 2007, but is struggling to meet the financial requirements of doing so – particularly as Gillett is reluctant to put any more money into the club and would prefer to sell up.
Hicks would like to buy Gillett’s 50 per cent share and his announcement yesterday that he is willing to give up some of his stake in the Rangers is believed to be geared towards seizing full control at Liverpool. “I’ve been quietly looking for minority investors to come back into the ownership of the Rangers as a way to be prudent in a bad economy,” said Hicks, who also owns the National Hockey League side Dallas Stars.
Beckham rules out quitting the international scene
DAVID BECKHAM has insisted he will never contemplate retirement from international football as the midfielder, revitalised by his loan move to AC Milan, prepares to break Bobby Moore’s England outfield record of 108 caps against Slovakia.
The 33-year-old spoke frankly yesterday about his desire to appear at next summer’s World Cup finals and admitted he had suffered a crisis of confidence having been dropped from the national set-up by Fabio Capello’s predecessor, Steve McClaren, some three years ago. His career, though, has been revived by his time at San Siro.
Asked whether an appearance at the World Cup in South Africa, should England qualify, could provide a natural conclusion to his career at this level, Beckham replied: “No. I’ve always said that even if I’m not picked, I want to be available while I’m still playing. That’s the way I see it. I’d love to go to the World Cup and be involved in every squad that gets picked up to that time. I don’t think I’d ever retire.”
