Loew calls up Grosskreutz for Germany
Coach Joachim Loew has called up midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz of in-form Borussia Dortmund for Germany’s upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Turkey and Kazakhstan. The German football federation said yesterday that Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng also will be back in the squad after returning from injury. Boateng will take the place in Loew’s 22-man squad vacated by injured Bayer Leverkusen forward Stefan Kiessling. Grosskreutz has played once before for Germany, going on as a substitute in a 3-0 friendly win over Malta before the World Cup. Germany playsTurkey in Berlin on 8 October and face Kazakhstan in Astan on 12 October.Angry
Steaua fans claim Polish referee ‘stole’ win
Angry Steaua Bucharest fans lay Polish sausages outside the Poland Embassy to protest against Polish referee Marcin Borksi for his performance in the Europa League. Steaua led 3-0 early in Thursday’s match against Napoli, but fans blamed Borski for allowing an excessive amount of injury time until the Italian side scored a third goal. Riot police had to keep Steaua and Napoli supporters apart after the 3-3 draw, ProTV channel reported. ProTV added some Napoli supporters had sticks and started shouting “Gypsies, Gypsies,” aggravating the already infuriated Steaua fans. Napoli equalised when Edinson Cavani struck in the eighth minute of stoppage time, completing its comeback after conceding three times in the opening 16 minutes. Pantelis Kapetanos was sent off shortly after scoring Bucharest’s third. At the end of regulation time, four extra minutes were announced, but Borski didn’t blow fulltime until after Cavani scored. Some supporters threw chairs on the pitch. Romanian media say Steaua may be fined by UEFA.
Two new call-ups for Portugal
Toulouse midfielder Paulo Machado and Sporting Lisbon rightback Joao Pereira earned their first cal-lups from new Portugal coach Paulo Bento on Friday, and Cristiano Ronaldo was back for the two Euro 2012 qualifiers. Machado and Pereira played in Portugal's youth teams. Ronaldo was available after missing Portugal's disastrous start to its qualifying campaign when it collected just one point from its first two matches in Group H. Portugal need to restore its fortunes by beating Denmark and Iceland, but Bento said he won't be asking too much of the Real Madrid star.
Rooney could be fit in time to play Montenegro
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could recover from an ankle injury in time to play in England's European Championship qualifier against Montenegro on 12 October. Rooney was expected to be out of action for as long as three weeks after he aggravated the injury and was substituted in the 61st minute of Sunday's 2-2 draw at Bolton. United manager Alex Ferguson said Rooney will not be fit to play for the club against Sunderland in the Premier League today but could be fit for the game at Wembley. England coach Fabio Capello is scheduled to name his squad on Monday.
Zico leaves Flamengo
Zico has stepped down as Flamengo's executive director, saying he was unable to do his job because many people were unhappy with his presence in the club. “It is not possible to do what I would like to do at Flamengo," Zico said in a statement posted yesterday on his website. “I realize that my presence has caused the discontent of many people. The conditions are not right for me to continue.” He said his plans to build a training centre and introduce other changes at the club caused the mistrust of club executives. Zico was named the executive director in May. Flamengo said it had no comment regarding Zico's exit.
Leicester fire Sousa nine matches into season
Leicester said they plan to appoint a new manager swiftly after firing Paulo Sousa after just nine matches in charge of the second-tier English side. Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was widely linked with the post by British media. Sousa was fired yesterday after guiding Leicester to a single win and last place in the early season standings. The former Premier League club has had 14 managers since 2004. Leicester said that Sousa “is a first-class individual but that this decision has been taken in the best interests of the club.”
Mexico call up boycott players for friendly
Mexico has called up 11 players for a friendly against Venezuela despite the players asking not be considered for international duty because of an argument about discipline. The 11 players were fined by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) for breaches of discipline during a party held after a friendly with Colombia in September. The players sent a letter to the FMF saying they were unhappy the incident had been made public and that the punishments were unfair, asking not to be considered for international duty until directors' attitude changed. It is unclear whether they will report for duty. Absent from the list are Arsenal forward Carlos Vela and Celtic defender Efrain Juarez who were suspended for six months after the incident.
BOV League Div III: Kalkara-Kirkop 0-1; Luqa SA-Pembroke 1-4