The news followed a meeting on Tuesday that Maradona and former national coach Carlos Bilardo held with Grondona.

“Now the real work begins,” Maradona said.

The legendary footballer will be introduced as Argentina coach Thursday on his 48th birthday.

In the other action of the night, Juventus had to fight back for a 2-2 draw at BATE Borisov in Group H.

The Bulgarian striker pounced twice in the second half after Wayne Rooney had put the holders ahead in the 22nd minute to give United their first win of the campaign.

Carlos Tevez had put United ahead after three minutes, with a Wes Brown own goal levelling before Babel struck 13 minutes from time to secure their first home win against United for seven years.

Vicente del Bosque has succeeded Luis Aragones as Spain’s coach while Italy’s World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi is back in his old job following Roberto Donadoni’s departure after their disappointing European championship performance.

An AFC delegation will fly to New Delhi on Sunday morning to inspect the ground conditions at the Ambedkar Stadium and take a decision whether the final could be held there. The delegation will decide the date of the match which the organisers said would be within a week.

British weekly newspaper News of the World said Ambani, the sixth richest man in the world, is already in negotiations with club owner Mike Ashley for a reported 260 million pounds (US $ 510 million) takeover

A note addressed to 52-year-old Grant contained anti-Jewish insults and claimed the powder was lethal.

A police source said it used the words: “When you open this letter you will die a very slow and painful death.”

The letter also included threats to the manager’s wife Tzofit, a well-know personality in Israel.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “We were called to Chelsea’s training ground at Cobham at 12.15pm yesterday after they received a suspicious package.”

The white powder was analysed by specialists from Surrey Fire Service and found to be harmless, police said.

Detectives are continuing their investigations to identify the source of the package.

Chelsea Football Club has so far made no comment.

Houghton’s three-year contract expires in May 2009 but Baichung wants the widely respected former Fulham midfielder to be given another tenure as his continuation will only “help Indian football.”

rest on http://www.passionfootball.com/2007/11/liverpool-v-besiktas-highlights-06-11_06.html

Mourinho met Elsa Sousa when he was coaching small-town team Leiria in his native Portugal in 2001. He took her with him to FC Porto in January 2002, his first big job — where the pair lived for eight months in a flat arranged by the club. Mourinho even introduced her as his wife to players and agents. Players at top Portuguese side FC Porto thought she was coach Jose’s wife — until the real Mrs Mourinho turned up.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres was Spain’s goal hero, striking after 33 minutes when he cleverly lifted Cesc Fabregas’s pass over Jens Lehmann.

Spain dominated the final throughout, with Torres heading against the post and Marcos Senna within inches of adding a second after 80 minutes.

Michael Ballack came close for Germany, shooting narrowly wide after the break.

Liverpool’s stay might only last for 24 hours until overnight leaders Chelsea visit Aston Villa on Sunday.

Two goals from Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres and one apiece by Ryan Babel [Images] and substitute Andriy Voronin helped the Merseysiders crush bottom team Derby.

Everton went second with a 2-1 victory at Bolton Wanderers thanks to a last-minute winner from Joleon Lescott. They trail Liverpool on goal difference.

Liverpool have 10 points, the same as Everton and Chelsea with Manchester City, who play at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, next on nine.

Michael Owen [Images] scored in the 87th minute to give Newcastle United a 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic, who had Kevin Kilbane sent off.

Fulham stormed back from 2-0 and 3-1 down to force a 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage while Middlesbrough beat Birmingham City 2-0.

West Ham United avenged last season’s 6-0 defeat at Reading by winning 3-0 at the Madejski Stadium. The home team also missed a penalty

Terry still had two years left on his existing contract but is delighted to commit his long-term future to the west London side.

With this John Terry has become the highest-paid player in Premier League history.
Terry, who had two years to run on an existing £67,000-a-week deal, will see his weekly wage packet double to £135,000. The salary eclipses those of £121,000-a-week currently enjoyed by the midfielder Michael Ballack and striker Andriy Shevchenko.

The total income from media rights (60 per cent of the total), sponsorship and merchandising (21 per cent), the booming corporate hospitality sector (11 per cent) and match tickets (7 per cent), represents an increase of more than 50 per cent on the figure of 852 million euros produced by Euro 2004 in Portugal.

A total of 184 million euros of that money goes straight to the 16 finalists with each country guaranteed 7.5 million euros with further payments linked to points and progress in the tournament.

Is it possible that Duncan Edwards was really that good? Greater, perhaps, than Pele or Alfredo di Stefano? Frustratingly, there being little film footage available of him in action, we must depend upon the evidence of eyewitnesses at the time.
“He was the best player I’ve ever seen and the best footballer I ever played with,” says Sir Bobby Charlton.
Courtesy: telegraphindia.com

But in a statement on his agent’s website, Mourinho said: “After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager.

“I’m sure the FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs.”

In the statement Mourinho said he had held talks with both the FA’s chief executive Brian Barwick and the organisation’s director of football Trevor Brooking.

“Mourinho ticked all the boxes bar one – I’m not sure how much of a diplomat he would have been,” said BBC Radio 5 Live football correspondent Mike Ingham.

Mourinho together with Italian coaches Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello had emerged as the three leading contenders for the England job.

Lippi, 59, won the World Cup with Italy last summer and also boasts league and Champions League titles from his time with Juventus.

Capello, 61, has won titles in both Spain and Italy and has already expressed his interest in the England job.

Police used two baton charges to disperse the fans. It is not known if any British nationals were arrested.

The last time the two teams met in April, 11 fans were taken to hospital after violence in the stadium. The stab injuries are not said to be serious.

Consular officials are at the hospital where the fans have been taken. It is reported that two others, one of them a 16-year-old boy, needed treatment for the effects of drink.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the situation outside and inside the stadium was “calm.”

Hooligan warning

He said: “It appears there was trouble outside the stadium.

“A number of British fans were injured and two British nationals have been arrested.

“Our consular officials are on the way to the hospital to check on conditions, the numbers involved and whether anyone needs assistance.

“The situation is now said to be calm both outside and inside the stadium.”

The rankings, released by football’s world governing body, have Bob Houghton’s charges with 158 points.

India has made progress in the last 12 months, as it was ranked 157th around the same time last year.

The improvement can largely be attributed to the title triumph in the Nehru Cup football tournament at home. However, the team, led by Baichung Bhutia, could not maintain the momentum and went down to Lebanon in the first round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

India has still a long way to go to reach its best ever FIFA ranking of 94, held in February 1996.

The tensions in the Middle East seem to have influenced the decision of Iranian-born German international soccer player Ashkan Dejagah’s decision not to travel with the national Under-21 squad for a match in Israel.

Dejagah, who plays for Bundesliga club VfB Wolfsburg, asked his national team managers to withdraw him from Germany’s European Championship qualifier against Israel, to be played in Tel Aviv on Friday, citing “personal reasons.”

“He came to us citing personal reasons that seemed very plausible,” DFB spokesman Jens Grittner said in a statement.

Dejagah was quoted by mass-circulation tabloid daily Bild as saying his motive was cultural.

“I have more Iranian than German blood in my veins,” he said in a report published Tuesday. “That should be respected, and besides I’m doing this out of respect. My parents are Iranian.”

Dejagah was born in Tehran, but later moved with his parents to Germany. He holds a German passport.

Iranian citizens have been forbidden from traveling to Israel ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the point from which Iran also began to refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Blackburn rallied with Roque Santa Cruz stabbing home then heading an equaliser before Denilson saw red for a crude challenge just before full-time.

Eduardo slotted the winner in extra time for a tired but jubilant Arsenal.

More Rocking Videos? – Visit My WebPage

The defence today also seemed much in color with Sanjeev Maria marshaling defence with Manju and Mohanraj and James efficiently manning their respective flanks.

In the first half, Bagan created very few chances and one of them was scored by Bhaichung when Dharamjit put in a ball inside the box and dragging from the left to the right Bhaichung slotted in a pile driver.

In the second half, Bagan started off under pressure and Lalam was replaced with Lalkamal and Dharamjit by Ishfaq.

Barreto, even though injured played magnificently and ball distribution was simply exquisite but the finishing was just not there with Lalkamal spoiling more than a couple balls single handed.

Almost at the end of the second half, Barreto lofted a ball for Bhaichung who found himself confronted by a charging goalie. Bhaichung chipped the ball over the keeper then placed the ball inside the net.

This was a much comprehensive win and with the inclusion of Bobo the team has certainly taken a turn for the better.

Team: Shilton, Maria, Manju, James Singh, Mohanraj, Douglas, Dharamjit, Bobo, Barreto, Lalampuia, Bhaichung.

Speaking publicly for the first time since being picked as the three- time Asian champions’ boss, Okada said, “Basically I will go with the team that I have.”

“I don’t have any special demands and I will be happy if the players accept me as the coach,” said Okada, who met with Japan Football Association officials Wednesday to iron out the details of his contract.

The 51-year-old Okada, who guided Japan to their debut at the World Cup finals in 1998, will be officially named as coach at a JFA executive committee meeting on Friday.

Okada’s first job in his new post will be to watch Gamba Osaka’s fifth-round Emperor’s Cup tie against Oita Trinita on Saturday.

The midfielder has been nominated alongside his Chelsea colleague Didier Drogba and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Spain-based duo of Mali striker Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla) and Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona) have also made the cut.

There were fears from the major powers that they could be placed in the same pot, but there were gasps as Group C emerged as the one to watch in Austria and Switzerland next summer.

Both the Italians and the French had feared that they could be paired together after the seedings were made without their performance in last year’s World Cup Finals being taken into account.

Group A
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Portugal
Turkey

Group B
Austria
Croatia
Germany
Poland

Group C
Holland
Italy
Romania
France

Group D
Greece
Sweden
Spain
Russia

The devoted Christian largely avoids celebrity parties and does not worry too much about his image, expressing himself on the pitch with his mesmeric skill and driving runs.

Concentrating on his football helped the 25-year-old win the Ballon d’Or on Sunday to go with his FIFPro World Player of the Year and UEFA European Club Player of the Year gongs. He is also hot favourite to be named FIFA’s World Player of the Year when the award is announced later this month.

The design was chosen after a nationwide public vote in South Africa.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Irvin Khoza, the chairman of the World Cup organising committee, unveiled the poster two days before the preliminary-round draw for the finals.

Blatter hinted that the face in the poster was of the most famous player in Africa, who did not play in the last World Cup finals, which suggests it is based on Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, three times African Footballer of the Year.

Blatter said in a statement: “It invites the world to join in the celebration of the greatest football event on earth, while highlighting the pride and passion of the African continent and her people. It represents the African dream come true.”

Blatter, speaking at Soccerex, the international football conference, said so many countries had already indicated an interest, or were expected to do so, that there may have to be a “preliminary elimination” to reduce the number of candidates.

“We are only in 2007, but the race for the 2018 World Cup has already started with a race of interested countries,” he said.

“Already we are hearing about the United States, Mexico, Canada, a combined bid from Belgium and Holland, Russia and of course England are interested. Spain – don’t forget about them – and also perhaps China, Australia and Japan.

The FA has been holding an emergency board meeting since 0830 GMT at its Soho headquarters in London.

The decision comes after England’s 3-2 defeat by Croatia and failure to qualify for Euro 2008

More news to follow…..

England went 2-0 down when Scott Carson, in for Paul Robinson, helped Nico Kranjcar’s shot into the net and then Ivica Olic slipped in a second.

Frank Lampard pulled one back from the spot after Jermain Defoe was fouled, before David Beckham, winning a 99th cap, set up Peter Crouch to level it.

But Mladen Petric fired in from 25 yards to break England’s hearts.

The result will surely cost Steve McClaren his job as England manager and after such an abysmal display, he can have few complaints.

He gambled his position and England’s participation on two huge selections and dropping Robinson and Beckham proved catastrophic.

Carson’s performance will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons and it may take the 22-year-old some time to recover.

The children from the slums of Vyasarpadi in Chennai- an area known for its extreme poverty and high crime rates – now have a chance to meet their football idols from the Manchester United team and train under them.

Beckham played his 98th international game in yesterday’s 1-0 friendly victory over Austria in Vienna and is expected to earn another cap against Croatia at Wembley on Wednesday.

But he faces the prospect of being stuck on 99 should England fail to qualify for the European Championships because that scenario would almost certainly lead to calls for a fresh approach, regardless of whether head coach Steve McClaren keeps his job.

The LA Galaxy midfielder, who is 32 years old, insists however that it is not his primary concern.

Goal By: Messi 43