Chaos Persists in ISL vs IPL Standoff

.National soccer league chaos continues as 18 clubs line up for the Indonesian Super League (ISL), due to kick-off on Thursday despite the fact that the league has no approval from the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) to operate.

Persiba Balikpapan club director Syahril M. Taher said on Wednesday that Thursday’s ISL opening match between Persiba and Persipura Jayapura at Mandala Stadium in Jayapura would go ahead as scheduled.

“The 18 participating clubs, the players’ legal documents, the fixtures, the referees and sponsors are all ready. We will have an official match, as our clubs are sanctioned by the PSSI. There’s no reason to get a permit from the police to host the match,” Syahril said as quoted by Antara news agency on Thursday.

The 18 clubs in the ISL are last season’s champions Persipura Jayapura, Persiwa Wamena, Persidafon Dafonsoro, Persiram Raja Ampat, Persija Jakarta, Persib Bandung, Pelita Jaya, Arema Indonesia, Persela Lamongan, Gresik United, Deltras Sidoarjo, Persiba Balikpapan, Persisam Samarinda, Mitra Kutai Kartanegara, Sriwijaya FC, PSPS Pekanbaru, PSAP Sigli and PSMS Medan.

The league will consist of 306 matches throughout the season, with 200 matches broadcast live by ANTV.

The ISL received no approval from the country’s soccer body because the PSSI had sanctioned the breakaway Indonesian Premier League (IPL) as the country’s only official professional soccer league.

However, the IPL season, which had been due to start Oct. 15, remained uncertain.

The muddle started when the PSSI decided the IPL would feature 24 clubs. Some clubs filed protests against the number of participants and against the PSSI’s decision to include six specially appointed clubs among the IPL participants. Afterward, discontent mounted among the clubs at what appeared to be an unfair distribution of shares among the league members.

The PSSI faced the latest muddle after four IPL clubs — Persib Bandung, Mitra Kukar, Persipura Jayapura and Persidafon Dafonsoro, decided to move to the rival ISL as they refused to play in the IPL matches scheduled on Nov. 26. The scheduled opening matches should have featured Persib versus Mitra, Persipura versus Arema and Persidafon versus PSM Makassar.

“We have reported these clubs’ refusal to play to the PSSI disciplinary and competition committees. We will have to change the fixture schedule in their absence,” said the IPL organizers, PT Liga Prima Indonesia Sportindo (LPIS) chief executive officer Widjajanto, on Tuesday.

With the recent walkouts, only 12 clubs remained with the IPL, including Persiraja Banda Aceh, PSMS Medan, Semen Padang, Persija Jakarta, Persiba Bantul, Persijap Jepara, Persibo Bojonegoro, Persema Malang, Arema Malang, Bontang FC, PSM Makassar and Persebaya Surabaya.

Confusion further piled up on Tuesday when the Indonesia Professional Sports Body (BOPI), which had validated the IPL license, announced that it would also legalize the ISL to fulfill the request of ISL organizers, PT Liga Indonesia.

“We are in the process of legalizing the [ISL] license,” said BOPI director Haryo Yuniarto on Tuesday.

However, on Wednesday evening, BOPI sent a statement to media recognizing the LPIS as the sole official operator of a national professional soccer league. The statement was based on a letter signed by BOPI chairman Gordon Mogot.

“Based on such considerations, the legitimate organizer of all activities of professional soccer including the competition, athletes, officials, training, medical, industrial, and related services in line with regulations is LPIS,” said Gordon in the statement.

The ongoing chaos in the country’s national soccer league could harm Indonesia’s chances at competing in the Asian Champions League and the AFC Cup championships. According to AFC regulations, the soccer clubs competing in those events are required to compete in the national league officially-sanctioned by the soccer federation in their own countries.

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Persisam beware of Persela Lamongan in Semi Final IIC 2011

.This afternoon (11/24) the semi final of Inter Island Cup (IIC) 2011 will be held at Mandala Stadium. Persisam will be against Persela Lamongan and have to win the game in order to get a ticket to final of IIC 2011. Persisam’s head coach, Daniel Roekita had instructed his team to beware of Persela.

Persela have proven that they are a team who deserved to beware of by Persisam. They made their way to the semi final after became the winner of Group C IIC 2011. Roekito sees Persela as a team which continously evaluating their performance.

“Our big victory by defeated them 5-0 in SCTV Cup can not guarantee our victory for this time. Persela must have changed a lot.”said Roekito.

But although showing his awareness of Persela Lamongan today, Coach Roekito said that he and his team are targetting a ticket to final IIC 2011 because they believe that their chance to go to final is big.

Some of Persisam’s main squad that will be played today are Christian “El Loco” Gonzales and Jerry Karpeh, Persisam’s two striker. “Our chance of going to final is still there, so I put our two great striker to give pressure to Persela’s defense.” explains coach Roekito in related to the line up.

In the mid field. Roekito trust this responsibility to Ronald Fagundez, Srdjan Lopicic, Eka Ramdani, and Akbar Rasyid. While he will not put Fandy Mochtar because this player just joined the team for a while, he needs adaptation.

While for defense, coach Roekito will put Dias Angga, Zoa Owana Luc, Jayusman, and Arifky Eka Putra. He will keep M.Roby untill the second half but it will according to the situation on field.
(pusamfc.com)

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LA Galaxy Tour To Include Jakarta

.Indonesia became the latest stop on the Los Angeles Galaxy's Asia Pacific tour on Wednesday, when the Major League Soccer club announced they would play a match on 30 November in Jakarta.

The Galaxy, featuring English star midfielder David Beckham, hope to capture the MLS playoff crown and bring the 36-year-old playmaker a championship in his last season with the squad in the MLS Cup Final on 20 November in Los Angeles.

Ten days later, the Galaxy will face an all-star line-up from the Indonesia Super League at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The Galaxy will then visit Manila to face the Philippines national team at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on 3 December and stop in Australia on 6 December to meet A-League club Melbourne Victory.

In their first Asian tour since 2008, the Galaxy will try to improve on a record of 2-3 with four drawn in matches on Asian soil. The Galaxy lost their only prior matches in Australia in 2007 and last year.
(fifa.com)

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Naturalized Trio Called Up to Help Indonesia's World Cup Push

. It didn’t take long for three newly naturalized players to get their chance to join the Merah Putih.

National team management confirmed on Thursday that defender Victor Igbonefo, midfielder Greg Nwokolo and striker Jhonny Van Beukering were called up by coach Wim Rijsbergen to a training camp that will start on Tuesday in Jakarta.

Having lost its first three 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia faces a nearly insurmountable task to advance from Group E. It travels to Qatar on Nov. 11, hosts Iran four days later and finishes group play at Bahrain on Feb. 29.

National team coordinator Bob Hippy said the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) had registered the three players with the Asian Football Confederation and world governing body FIFA.

“We are now waiting for approval whether the three players are eligible to play for the country,” Bob said. “The PSSI won’t give any guarantee that they will make the team. That depends on coach Wim.”

Van Beukering, born in the Netherlands, and Nigeria-born Nwokolo and Igbonefo received Indonesian citizenship on Oct. 10, along with other Dutch-born players Stefano Lilipaly and Tonnie Cusell.

Nwokolo, Igbonefo – both Nigerian-born – and Dutch-born Van Beukering were sworn in for Indonesia citizenship on Oct. 10, along with Lilipaly and Cusell.

Kim Jeffrey Kurniawan, a Germany-born defender who plays for Persema Malang, was the next to naturalize, followed by Netherlands-born players defender Diego Michiels and midfielder Ruben Wuarbanaran.

“I’ve been living and interacting with all the people here for seven years. I love this country and I can’t wait to give my best for the national team,” said Nwokolo, 25.

None of the three players, all of whom recently signed with Pelita Jaya, have represented their former countries before, as required by FIFA. 
(thejakartaglobe)

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Guardiola Says Barcelona Were Lucky Against Granada

SPANISH PRIMERA LEAGUE,-  Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said his side were lucky to escape with a narrow 1-0 win from their La Liga clash against Granada on Tuesday.

Xavi, who made his 392nd league appearance to break a club record, decided the game with a terrific free kick against the hosts, who would have Jaime and Dani Benitez dismissed in the second half.

“We were lucky to have won,” Guardiola told Sport.es. “Anything could have happened at 1-0 as they have dangerous players.”

“We were not fast enough in moving the ball around. We would take four or five touches before playing it on; we are usually strong at this.”

“In any case I felt we were in command of the game.”

However, Argentine defender Javier Mascherano believes his side were deserving of victory.

“I think the team has taken three deserved points,” Mascherano said.

“We knew Granada would be a difficult rival, but we had chances and we were able to finish.”

“The win was deserved and what is important is that we were able to create plenty of openings.”

The victory took Barcelona back to the top of the table, but the Catalans can be knocked off the summit if Real Madrid or Levante win on Wednesday.
(soccernews)

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After 10 Years Suspended by FIFA, Brunei Are Now Back

Brunei is set to return to the biennial tournament of South-East Asia after being absent for the past 10 years due to sanctions from Fifa.

The Under-23 Brunei national team will be sent by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) to compete in 26th South-East Asia (SEA) Games in Indonesia.

The team is scheduled to play in Group B stage along with Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Timor Leste and Myanmar. The Wasps’ first match will be played on November 5 against Timor Leste at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Fifa banned Brunei two years ago after the government abolished the former Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (BAFA) unilaterally.

The Government then formed a new association in December 2008 but was never recognised by Fifa. According to Fifa’s statutes, the Government of Brunei has intervened in domestic football matters.

Brunei’s last appearance was in the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur before the suspension. The suspension was lifted on May 31 after ascertaining that the national associations had fulfilled the conditions established by the Fifa Emergency Committee and approved statutes in line with the Fifa Statutes.

Brunei have also been chosen to be a host for 29th SEA Games in 2017, which will be the second time it has held the tournament after the 1999 edition in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
(Eric Noveanto/Goal)

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Irfan Bachdim Denies Choosing Modeling Over National Team

IDONESIAN SOCCER NEWS Indonesian national soccer team star Irfan Bachdim has denied that his absence from the U-23 training was because he had chosen modeling over soccer.

“I read newspaper reports saying I ran away from the national team. That is not true. I really want to play for this country,” Irfan said via Twitter Monday.

Irfan said he had taken on an advertising job instead of joining the under-23 team, but said he had not been told join the team.

“After the Qatar game, there was no information telling me to join up with the U-23 team, so I carried out an activity for one of my sponsors for two days,” he added.

He also said he was not in the best of health to take part in training.

“My wife and I had to see a doctor because we were very unwell. I am very concerned about our health and I have been working hard lately. Health is an important thing,” he said.

Earlier, team coordinator Bob Hippy called for Irfan to be dismissed from the Indonesia u-23 team, which is currently being groomed for the upcoming SEA Games 2011, after finding that he had missed training deliberately.
(thejakartapost)

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David Beckham, LA Galaxy Confirm Game in Indonesia

United States football team the LA Galaxy and its star player, David Beckham, will play a friendly match against an Indonesian team in Jakarta on Nov. 30.

Promoter Mahaka Sports said on Thursday that it had officially signed a contract with the team.

“They are playing in Jakarta against a Liga selection,” Mahaka Sports director Hasani Abdulgani said, referring to the Indonesian football league.

He said that Beckham’s presence was the deal breaker.

“Beckham is coming for sure because his presence is included in the contract. We wouldn’t have said yes to the deal if Beckham couldn’t make it,” Hasani said.

Beckham and the team would be arriving in Jakarta on Nov. 28.

Besides a friendly, they will also host a coaching clinic and a meet and greet with fans.

“This tour is possibly going to be Beckham’s last tour with the Galaxy,” Hasani said.
(thejakartaglobe)

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Indonesia in Tough Draw for SEA Games Football Competition

INDONESIAN SOCCER,-  If Indonesia breaks its long drought in Southeast Asian Games football this year, it will have earned every ounce of gold. Wednesday’s draw for the group stage in November’s Games did the host nation few favors, placing Indonesia alongside defending champion Malaysia and regional powers Thailand and Singapore.

Cambodia will likely be the only respite in Group A. Group B, meanwhile, features defending 2009 Games runner-up Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, East Timor, Burma and the Philippines.

With only the top two in each group advancing to the semifinals, coach Rahmad Darmawan’s squad faces a challenging road to bring Indonesia its first Games gold medal since 1991.

However, Rahmad was calm and collected after the draw.

“I always pray for the best for my team, including before the draw, then we got this. I believe the group is the best thing that could happen to us,” he said.

“The most important thing for us right now is to focus on our job and put our best effort on the field to qualify to the next round.”

Reverse psychology or not, Rahmad may have a point.

Indonesia had what looked like an easy group at the 2009 Games in Vientiane, Laos, being drawn with Singapore, Burma and the host nation. Instead, a 2-2 draw with Singapore was followed by a stunning 2-0 loss to Laos and a 3-1 defeat against Burma, leaving the Merah Putih last in the group.

Malaysian football has been on an upswing recently. After winning the 2009 Games, its senior team won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup after beating Indonesia in the two-legged final.

Thailand, which has won Games gold 11 times since 1977, will likely send the U-23 team that lost 1-0 to Japan in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Singapore haswon bronze in the last two Games.

Rahmad said he was not worried about the draw, though.

“In age-group teams, all Southeast Asian teams have more or less the same quality. There are no big or minnow teams. All of the teams have the same chance to qualify from the group, even Cambodia,” he said.

The coach also said he had sent assistant Widodo Cahyono Putra to Hanoi to scout future opponents at the VFF Cup. Vietnam, Malaysia and Burma will play in the tournament.

At home, Pakistan has canceled Friday’s friendly against the Under-23 team, Rahmad said. Instead, his squad will play local club Mitra Kukar on the same day. The team’s last international friendly before the Games is against East Timor at Gelora Bung Karno on Oct. 25.

Pundits and fans expressed some surprise over Indonesia’s group. Draws usually seed several teams to prevent big names from playing each other at an early stage, but Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) secretary general Tri Goestoro said everything was done by the book.

“In the SEA Games technical handbook, there are only two seeded teams in the draw. They are defending champion, which is Malaysia, and the runner up, which is Vietnam,” Tri said. “All the countries’ federations, including the PSSI, agreed on the rules. The draw was fair and square.”

Indonesia opens group play against Cambodia on Nov. 9, followed by Singapore on Nov. 13, Thailand on Nov. 15 and Malaysia on Nov. 17. All Group A matches are at Gelora Bung Karno.

Vietnam and the Philippines kick off the competition at Gelora Bung Karno on Nov. 3, followed by Laos against Burma.

Elsewhere, the PSSI disciplinary committee said the fate of striker Irfan Bachdim, who failed to show up for the U-23 team’s training camp, would be decided on Monday.
(thejakartaglobe)

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FIFA Rankings for October

FIFA rankings for October (September position in parentheses) :

1. Spain (1).

2. Netherlands (2).

3. Germany (3).

4. Uruguay (4).

5. Brazil (7).

6. Italy (6).

7. England (8).

8. Portugal (5).

(tie). Greece (11).

10. Argentina (10).

(tie). Denmark (17).

12. Croatia (9).

13. Russia (13).

14. Sweden (25).

15. France (12).

16. Chile (14).

17. Japan (15).

18. Switzerland (18).

19. Ivory Coast (16).

20. Australia (19).

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Europa League Fixtures - Thursday October 20

EUROPA LEAGUE,-  Europa League fixtures for the third round of group matches include Tottenham Hotspur v Rubin Kazan and Rennes v Celtic.

There are a total of five British teams in Europa League action on Thursday evening, with Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Stoke City, Birmingham City and Celtic all facing matches that will be vital if they hope to progress to the second stage of the competition.

Spurs host Rubin Kazan at White Hart Lane in arguably the biggest game of the evening, although there are also two eye catching matches in Group I, where Udinese hosts Atletico Madrid and Celtic travel to Rennes.

Stoke City will look to continue their excellent Europa League form when they host Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Britannia Stadium, while Fulham will take their own unbeaten record to Poland, where they will face Wisla Krakow. Birmingham City are also away, in Belgium, at Club Bruges.

There are a total of 24 Europa League matches taking place across Europe on Thursday evening, with the likes of Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Athletic Bilbao and PSV Eindhoven just some of the big names involved in the competition.

EUROPA LEAGUE Fixtures - Thursday October 20

Lokomotiv Moscow  vs  AEK Athens
AEK Larnaca  vs  Schalke 04
AZ Alkmaar  vs  Austria Vienna
Club Bruges  vs  Birmingham City
Maccabi Haifa  vs  Steaua Bucharest
Malmo FF  vs  FC Metalist Kharkiv
NK Maribor  vs  Braga
Odense BK  vs  FC Twente
Stade Rennes  vs  Glasgow Celtic
SK Sturm Graz  vs  Anderlecht
Udinese  vs  Atletico Madrid
Wisla Krakow  vs  Fulham
Athletic Bilbao  vs  Red Bull Salzburg
Dynamo Kiev  vs  Besiktas
FC Zurich  vs  Lazio
Hannover 96  vs  FC Copenhagen
Hapoel Tel-Aviv  vs  PSV Eindhoven
PAOK Salonika  vs  Shamrock Rovers
Rapid Bucharest  vs  Legia Warsaw
Slovan Bratislava  vs  Paris Saint-Germain
Sporting  vs  FC Vaslui
Standard Liege  vs  Vorskla Poltava
Stoke City  vs  Macc Tel-Aviv
Tottenham Hotspur  vs  Rubin Kazan

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Jeonbuk and Suwon Look to Keep Title In South Korea

K-LEAGUE,-  Jeonbuk Motors and Suwon Bluewings can cast off the troubled K-League’s woes and guarantee an Asian title treble for Korean teams when the AFC Champions League semifinals start on Wednesday.

Jeonbuk, the 2006 champion, takes on Saudi giant Al Ittihad, while Suwon hosts Qatar’s Al Sadd in the two-legged semifinals of Asia’s premier club competition, with return games played a week later.

Jeonbuk and Suwon will both be gunning to set up the first all-Korean final since 1997 and keep the continental trophy in South Korea for the third year running.

A South Korean victory would be particularly welcome for the K-League this year after shocking revelations of rampant match-fixing, which resulted in mass arrests, life bans and a suspected player suicide.

Jeonbuk has pledged not to abandon the attacking philosophy that has yielded 23 goals in eight Champions League outings as it takes on two-time winner Al Ittihad on its home turf.

“We will never play defensively even though this is an away match,” said coach and former national boss Choi Kang-hee. “This away match is critical and the most important match for us, but our players have a strong mind-set and we believe that we will beat them.”

Jeonbuk star Lee Dong-gook is the top scorer in this year’s competition so far with eight goals, a form that has earned him a recall to the national team.

“We are playing well together as a team with a number of different players making and scoring goals,” Lee said.

“We have to ensure that we stay focused against Al Ittihad as we know that it is a strong team with a real Asian pedigree.”

It is an eagerly awaited showdown. Since 2003 when the tournament was born in its current format, both Al Ittihad and Jeonbuk have reached the last eight of the competition five times, more than any other team.

Al Ittihad is the more successful and has the best record in the tournament’s history. Based in Jeddah, the Tigers won the 2004 and 2005 titles, and reached the final in 2009 only to lose to Pohang Steelers of South Korea.

There is more at stake for Jeonbuk and Al Ittihad than a place in the final — the winner will have home advantage.

The Asian Football Confederation has played around with the format for the final in recent years. First there was a home-and-away, two-legged affair, followed by a one-off match in Tokyo. This year, the final is once again a single match, but will be played at the home of one of the finalists, with the draw already confirming a showdown in either Jeonju or Jeddah.

That means that the winner of the other semifinal will face a more difficult road in order to lift the trophy.

Suwon, Asian champion in 2001 and 2002, will have to bounce back from losing Saturday’s Korean FA Cup final 1-0 to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, last year’s Champions League winner which is now qualified for the 2012 competition.

“If our luck had been different, we could have won, but now we will focus on the AFC Champions League and the semifinal,” said Suwon coach Yoon Sung-hyo.

Al Sadd, led by Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati, departed for Suwon on the back of a three-match Qatar Stars League winning streak following its 3-1 weekend victory over Al Khor.

Al Sadd has been a little fortunate. It lost the first leg of its quarterfinal against Sepahan 1-0, but because the Iranian team fielded an ineligible player, the Asian Football Confederation awarded the match to Al Sadd with a 3-0 scoreline. Sepahan won the second leg 2-1.

Fans at Suwon World Cup Stadium will welcome back former player Lee Jung-soo. The Korean international defender left the club in 2008 and is in his second season with Al Sadd.

The Middle Eastern teams are bidding to halt a five-year hold on the trophy by East Asian sides going back to Al Ittihad’s consecutive victories in 2004 and 2005.
(AFP/AP)

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Arsene Wenger banking on Euro ambition

Arsene Wenger insisted on Tuesday that Arsenal have not abandoned all hope in the Premier League, and the desire to keep competing in the Champions League was their primary motivation.

Wenger has endured the darkest days of his 15-year Arsenal tenure in the early stages of the 2011-12 season, with the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri followed by a hugely damaging 8-2 humiliation at Manchester United.

The Gunners' problems have called Wenger's authority into question as never before and Arsenal already face a struggle to finish in the top four after winning just three of their opening eight league games.

However, despite a 2-1 defeat at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the month, Arsenal are currently on a run of four wins from five games and Wenger believes they have turned a corner.

"We're getting better gradually in the league," said Wenger, whose side face Marseille in the Champions League here on Wednesday.

"We lost at Tottenham but we've won our matches recently, including five in a row at home. We were very efficient away from home last season and hopefully that will come back.

"Of course we're not giving up on the championship. Not being in the Champions League would be a disaster. We've been here for 14 seasons in a row—only Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal have done that.

"So that shows how important the championship is."

Wenger confirmed that Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey was in the squad for the game at Marseille, despite having sat out Sunday's 2-1 home win over Sunderland with a hamstring complaint.

Kieran Gibbs misses out, however, after being withdrawn against the Black Cats with a stomach strain, meaning Brazilian international Andre Santos will come into the side at left-back.

Despite their travails in domestic competition, Arsenal have started their Champions League campaign in positive fashion and approach Wednesday's game two points behind leaders Marseille in Group F after a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund and a 2-1 win at home to Olympiakos.

Like Arsenal, Didier Deschamps' side have also found solace in their European forays.

A wretched start to the Ligue 1 season has seen them pick up one win in 10 matches but they have impressive in the Champions League, winning 1-0 at Olympiakos before an eye-catching 3-0 defeat of Dortmund.

"You know as well as I do that Marseille are not in their right place in the championship and they won't stay there," said Wenger.

"Didier Deschamps is a true professional. He is strong mentally and he has a good team.

"They're going through a difficult phase. Confidence is something that goes quickly and takes a long time to come back."

OM's victory against German champions Dortmund last month was a fine counter-attacking display and Wenger expects Deschamps to set his team up in similar fashion for Wednesday's showdown at Stade Velodrome.

"Dortmund are a good team. Marseille impressed me by the way they played against them.

"Marseille know how to keep things tight at the back and then counter-attack. They have a good ratio in terms of shots to goals, which shows how efficient they are.

"They have speed with (Loic) Remy and (Mathieu) Valbuena and a skilful passer in Lucho (Gonzalez). They have a lot of ways to hurt you."
(AFP)

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Singapore, Indonesia bid to lure David Beckham

INDONESIAN FOOTBALL,-  Football superstar David Beckham looks set to visit Singapore and Indonesia on a promotional tour in the coming weeks, organisers said on Tuesday.

Beckham and his LA Galaxy team are "80 percent" confirmed to stop off in Southeast Asia en route to their friendly game in Melbourne in early December, a promoter told AFP.

"We are very close in the negotiations. It's at quite an advanced stage," the promoter said, referring to the Singapore leg. "We're negotiating for the whole team, including Beckham.

"We're just sorting out sponsors. It's about 80 percent (confirmed)."

She said tentative dates for Singapore, where Galaxy would meet fans and run a football clinic for youngsters, are December 1-3, adding that the team is also planning a friendly in Jakarta in late November.

Neither visit has been confirmed by Galaxy, who are scheduled to play Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium on December 6.

Galaxy's stars include Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan as well as Beckham, who has recently been linked with a move to France's Paris Saint-Germain.
(SuperSport)

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Casillas : Madrid Wants To Win Both Games Against Lyon

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,-  Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has underlined his team’s intention to win both their matches against Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League group stage this season.

The Spanish giants welcome Lyon to the Santiago Bernabeu in a Group D clash on Tuesday evening and will travel to France for Matchday Four action on November 2.

Madrid are currently top of the group with six points from two matches, while the French outfit are two points behind them in second place.

The nine-time European Cup winners’ record against Lyon in the Champions League, though, is not encouraging as the former French champions have won three and drawn four of their eight meetings since 2005, but last season Jose Mourinho’s side defeated them 4-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16.

Casillas reflected on that victory and their European campaign in 2010-11, and explained that their aim is to win both their games against Remi Garde’s charges this time.

“We made a great improvement last year by reaching the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals of the Champions League,” the Spanish goalkeeper is quoted as saying by Madrid’s official website.

“Our record against Olympique Lyonnais is not in our favour but we managed to defeat them last year and also break the quarter-final jinx.

“They change players every year but still qualify. They are a tough opponent and this is going to be a great match. Getting the six points out of both the home and away games will be very important for us.”

The 30-year-old, much like Mourinho, refused to reveal who between forwards Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema will start against Lyon on Tuesday.

“Higuain is in a good shape,” said Casillas. “I’ve known him for a long time now and his objective is always to score goals.

“We are happy with the excellent run he is having at the moment, but Benzema is also scoring goals and assisting his team-mates. It’s good for the team that both of them are doing well.”

The other game in the group on Tuesday is between Dinamo Zagreb and Ajax in Croatia.

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Mazzarri : Napoli Does Not Fear Bayern Munich

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,-  Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri has stated that his side will take to the pitch against Bayern Munich in a Champions League Group A fixture in Naples on Tuesday evening with “no fear”.

The Italian club will head into the clash with Jupp Heynckes’ Bavarians placed second in the group with four points from two matches, two behind their visitors.

This is Napoli’s first campaign in Europe’s premier club competition for 20 years, while Bayern are regulars in the Champions League and are considered one of the favourites this campaign after a stunning start to the season.

Mazzarri admits that defeating the German giants even on their own turf at the Stadio San Paolo will not be easy but he is confident that his players will not to be intimidated.

“Bayern Munich are a fantastic team and they have a lot of great players,” the Italian is quoted as saying by Uefa.com.

“In their last 10 matches they have collected nine wins and a draw and they are really in form, but we have no fear, we are excited about this.

“If Napoli win, it would be a historic result for this team and for this city and we will do everything to give this satisfaction to our supporters,” he added.

Mazzarri is also aware that his team will not be able to easily spring a surprise on their German counterparts due to their experience.

“Bayern are a team who are capable of of doing anything in possession. They have more than the usual level of skill and fitness, but they respect us.

“At the same time, this is not so great because I can’t hope to surprise them as they will not underestimate us for sure. Not least as Bayern have a lot of players used to playing in the Champions League, while this is the first season for us.”

The other game in the group on Tuesday is between Manchester City and Villarreal in England.

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Garrido : Villarreal Will SHow Class Against Manchester City

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,-  Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido has warned Manchester City not to take his team lightly as the two sides prepare to lock horns in a crucial Champions League game on Tuesday evening.

The Spanish outfit are in England for their Group A clash against Roberto Mancini’s men, with both sides searching for their first win in Europe’s premier club competition this season.

While Villarreal have lost both their opening matches, City have picked up just a point but will head into the clash at the Etihad Stadium as favourites because of their impressive domestic form that has seen them reach the summit of the Premier League.

Garrido, though, insists that City should consider his team pushovers at their own peril and is confident in his players’ ability to get something from Matchday Three.

“Nobody gives us a chance, but we want to show what we can do and that Villarreal really do have top players,” the Spaniard is quoted as saying by Uefa.com.

“We’re not in the best situation but we’re all good professionals; we all enjoy our job, we’re confident in the work we’re doing and we’ll all relish coming to a place like this and playing against the kind of players City have.

“We need to show bravery, guts and the players need to want the ball all the time against every team.

“Of course that’s harder against a great side like City but we’ve got to take the initiative, show our class, play our football, try and control the game, hold on to the ball and demonstrate our best qualities.”

The other game in the group on Tuesday is between second-placed Napoli and leaders Bayern Munich in Naples.

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Edin Dzeko Was Frustrated and Had Apologized

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,-  It is not only Carlos Tevez who makes Roberto Mancini upset when Manchester City visited Bayern Munchen in the Champions League, but Edin Dzeko also performed similar actions.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina striker was visibly angry when replaced by Mancini in the middle of the second half. For the attitude, Mancini was very upset and angry with Dzeko.

Not wanting the conflict to be long, Dzeko finally apologized about his attitude.

“I’ve apologized to my teammates and Mancini also said it all is fine. We want to take something positive for the next game,” explained Dzeko.

“I’m just not happy when we were behind 0-2. I just want to win the game. The game is special because I went back to Germany. I’ve played there a long time. But, things did not go well. That’s what made me very frustrated,” said the former Wolfsburg striker.

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Marseille Coach Says His Team Was Lucky Against Dortmund

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,-  Marseille coach Didier Deschamps believes his side enjoyed a huge slice of luck after beating Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in their Champions League Group F clash on Wednesday night.

Two goals from Andre Ayew, one of which was a penalty, and a strike from Loic Remy put the sword to the Germans as Marseille top the group with two wins in as many games.

Despite the convincing result, Deschamps is aware it was far from being a one-sided affair.

“It’s good to have so many points already. Now we have a double header against Arsenal, who would have been the group favourites after the draw was made,” Deschamps was quoted as saying by uefa.com.

“We’re happy tonight because we beat a good team. We had some luck both in attack and defence.

“There are times when your opponents are unlucky. Maybe they hit a post or the goalkeeper prevents them from scoring.

“We had that luck on our side tonight. That hasn’t always been the case so far this season.”

Marseille will now turn the focus on Ligue 1 matters when they welcome Brest to the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.?

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Indonesian Premier League Remains A Mess

INDONESIA LEAGUE,-  Even as the Indonesian Premier League kicked off on Saturday, its future was far from certain.

Persib Bandung and Semen Padang drew 1-1 at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, providing a brief glimpse of actual football amid a sea of off-field problems plaguing the sport.

Where the competition goes from here on is a mystery, though. League administrator Liga Prima announced after the match that the IPL was on hiatus, having originally planned to hold four more matches this month before a one-month break for November’s Southeast Asian Games.

“In a meeting with the [Asian Football Confederation], Sihar asked the AFC to give us dispensation to hold only one match in order to meet the deadline and be eligible for AFC club competitions,” Liga Prima chief executive Widjajanto said on Sunday.

He referred to Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) competition committee chief Sihar Sitorus. The AFC had set a deadline of Saturday for Indonesia to restart its league or face a two-year ban from continental play.

The fate of the IPL has been in doubt since Liga Prima and club managers met on Thursday. At the meeting, 14 clubs threatened to leave the league and form their own competition if the PSSI did not meet a series of demands including reinstating former league administrator Liga Indonesia (PTLI), providing a 99 percent stake in PTLI to the clubs, reducing the top flight to 18 teams and giving clubs a Rp 2 billion ($226,000) annual subsidy.

There are also concerns over the status of the players who took part in the season opener.

“The match was legal as PSSI chairman Djohar Arifin Husin and the head of competition committee signed a temporary players’ ratification [for Persib and Semen Padang] just before the game,” Widjajanto said.

According to regulations, he continued, players with previous experience in Indonesia only needed to be ratified while newcomers required verification and ratification.

The competition committee gave clubs until Oct. 26 to register as IPL participants. The league is expected to resume on Nov. 26.

Persisam Samarinda chairman Harbiansyah Hanafiah disagreed with the PSSI and Liga Prima’s interpretation.

“How can a match be considered legal without players’ ratification? What if there’s a contract dispute between clubs? Do you really believe new foreign players already submitted their [international transfer certificate] and have a work permit?” he said.

He also said the PSSI’s new leadership had breached too many regulations. “If they don’t want to comply with the regulations, we don’t want to take part in the IPL. The PSSI doesn’t belong to them. They’re just temporary. We will stick to our plan to hold the Indonesian Super League,” Harbiansyah said.
(thejakartaglobe)

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