A round-up of other soccer news in brief
Award for Trapattoni
GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has been named the Philips Sports Manager of the Month for November.
Although denied World Cup qualification by a well-documented French handball, Trapattoni is rewarded for the excellence of Ireland’s performance in Paris and for his achievement in guiding the team unbeaten through 10 qualifying group games.
Allardyce 'fit and well' after heart operation
BLACKBURN MANAGER Sam Allardyce says he is “fit and well” after undergoing heart surgery last week.
The 55-year-old had an angioplasty – an operation to widen a coronary artery – on Friday.
Allardyce has left assistant Neil McDonald in charge of first-team affairs for past three weeks but hopes to be back at Ewood Park to watch tomorrow’s Premier League game against Liverpool from the stands.
Allardyce told Sky Sports News: “I feel good. Lots of people have contacted me, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of well-wishers.
“I’d like to thank them now, publicly, because it’s been almost impossible for me to get back to every single person that has been a well-wisher.
“I am fit and well now and I really appreciate their concern.”
Torres could face Blackburn
FERNANDO Torres returned to full training with Liverpool yesterday and is in line for a comeback at Blackburn tomorrow.
Liverpool’s top scorer took part in a full session, and the club were more than happy to post a selection of pictures of Torres’ work-out on their website.
Van Persie has 'successful' surgery
ARSENAL and Netherlands striker Robin van Persie has had successful surgery to the ankle injury that will keep him out of action for at least four months, manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday.
“I have not talked to Robin yet but . . . the news I got from the surgery was it went very, very well,” Wenger told the Arsenal website (www.arsenal.com).
“There was a lot of disturbance on our side recently (about his injury) but the surgery went well.”
Wenger was furious with the Dutch FA (KNVB) last month after discovering that the player, who was injured in a friendly international with Italy, had suffered more extensive damage than first diagnosed.
Spanish league may strike over tax
THE Spanish football league are set to decide today whether to stage a strike over proposed tax changes by the government that would affect high-earning foreign players in the future. Last month the LFP held an extraordinary general meeting with officials from all the clubs in Spain’s top two divisions to consider, among other things, the planned changes to the so-called “Beckham Law”.
The Spanish government are planning to amend the “Beckham Law” and raise the amount of tax foreigners earning above €600,000 a year pay from the current 24 per cent to the 43 per cent Spaniards have to pay. The proposed changes, which are set to take place next month, will not affect those players who already have contracts. The “Beckham Law”, so-called because former Real Madrid star David Beckham was one of the first people to benefit from it, was aimed at attracting specially-qualified foreigners to Spain.
Fulham's Europa hopes still alive
FULHAM (1) 1 CSKA SOFIA (0) 0: Fulham’s hopes of reaching the Europa League knock-out stages will go down to the wire after Zoltan Gera earned them victory against CSKA Sofia at Craven Cottage.
Needing to match Group E rivals Roma on the night, Roy Hodgson’s men did their part with maximum points against their Bulgarian opponents, who had only had Luboslav Penev in the dug-out for the second half after their coach nearly missed the trip altogether.
Danny Murphy, making his first appearance in six weeks after a knee injury, missed a ninth-minute penalty after a foul on Gera, but the latter scored on 15 minutes to save his captain’s blushes.
Bjorn Helge Riise won a 50-50 ball after a corner was cleared, he dashed down the right flank and crossed for Gera to nod home from close range.
Fulham travel to Basle on Wednesday, December 16th with a slim hope of reaching the last 32.
