UEFA Champions League Thread

[forzaitalia]

I think Napoli could take Chelsea. It's a bit of a bummer having the first leg at the San Paolo, mind.

[RomaShield27]

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Saturday December 17 2011 - -By Football Italia staff - http://www.football-italia.net/node/13879?

Carlo Ancelotti believes Milan are “superior to Arsenal,” while Napoli can eliminate Chelsea. Both Italians have been paired with English clubs in the Champions League final 16, while Inter take on Olympique Marseille.

“I am a Milanista through and through, so when I am cheering on my team, I find it difficult to be rational,” confessed the former Coach in the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“In any case, I think Milan are superior to Arsenal. Massimiliano Allegri has great champions, as Arsenal don’t have anyone like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, nor Pato or Robinho.

“They do have Robin Van Persie, that is true, but we also have Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva. Milan are the favourites, but I won’t forget Arsenal knocked us out of the Champions League in 2008.

“Arsenal are a side who always try to play their football and move it around, as that is the philosophy of the club. In order to reach the quarter-finals, Milan have to ensure their greater individual technique makes the difference.

“Arsenal had a bad start and were hammered at Old Trafford by Manchester United, but they are back on track now. I follow Arsenal regularly and can confirm they play pretty well now.”

Ancelotti is also a former Chelsea manager, but is cheering on Napoli in their showdown.

“Italian football has made steps forward and the English game is not in great shape, what with Manchester City and Manchester United’s elimination.

“Napoli already achieved something remarkable by beating a City side that is dominating the Premiershit, so I don’t see why they can’t repeat it.

“Of course, it requires a great performance, but Walter Mazzarri’s team can improve a lot from now to February. Chelsea try to make possession their main strength, while Napoli are very dangerous when they win the ball back and go on the counter.

“If that’s the situation, then Chelsea have to be very wary of the pace shown by Marek Hamsik, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani, Christian Maggio and the rest. They are absolutely deadly on the counter-attack.

“After a difficult period, Chelsea seem to be back in shape. It all depends on what physical condition the teams are in when the games come round. The only advantage Chelsea might have is their international experience, but I believe Napoli’s enthusiasm and grit can bridge that gap.”

Inter have a trip to France against Didier Deschamps’ side Olympique Marseille.

“With a great deal of patience, Claudio Ranieri is trying to put the season back on its feet. In my view, in the long run, he will do it. The Nerazzurri have world class players and in the Champions League quality does make the difference.”

[Lupa]

Sion case may hand Manchester United Champions League reprieve

Manchester United could in theory be reinstated to the Champions League after Fifa threatened to suspend Switzerland over the case involving Sion.

The Swiss FA has been given a deadline of 13 January to follow Fifa's instructions on the registration ban imposed on Sion or face a suspension which would also result in Basel being expelled from the Champions League. That could potentially see Sir tender Alex Ferguson's side back in the competition while another option could be that Bayern Munich, Basel's last-16 opponents, are given a bye.

"Should this deadline not be respected, the Swiss FA will be automatically suspended from 14 January 2012 onwards," the statement said.

If suspended, Switzerland – due to host Argentina in a friendly in February – would not be able to play any international matches. Euro 2012 would not be affected, however, as Switzerland did not qualify for the finals.

The warning follows a complex legal battle in which Sion defied Fifa and Uefa statutes by taking its case over a transfer ban to a civil court.

The case began when Sion signed six players in the summer while still subject to the transfer ban for poaching a player from an Egyptian club in 2008. The six players took their case to a civil court in the canton of Valais, which ruled they could play. Sion subsequently fielded them in the Swiss league.

Some of the players appeared in a Europa League qualifying tie against Celtic. Sion won the tie but were then expelled from the competition by Uefa who ruled the players were ineligible. Sion then obtained an injunction at another court in the canton of Vaud, where Uefa's headquarters are based, ordering European soccer's governing body to reinstate them to the competition.

However, this injunction referred the matter to the court of arbitration for sport which on Thursday ruled in favour of Uefa. In the meantime, the injunction obtained by the players in Valais canton was also overturned by a higher court.

Fifa now wants the Swiss League to award 3-0 defeats against Sion in every domestic match in which any of the six players were fielded. "The executive committee decided to give a final deadline of 13 January to the Swiss FA to enforce the registration ban imposed on Sion … and to sanction the attitude of the club repeatedly trying to circumvent this decision in a legally abusive manner," said Fifa.

"As a consequence, all matches in which the relevant players participated shall be declared forfeit or three points shall be deducted respectively."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011 ... ons-league

If ManPoo get back in, I call bullshit on UEFA. Again.

[juventino_italiano]

This would be a disgrace...

[RomaShield27]

Uefa considers Champions League ban on players owned by third parties
• General secretary Gianni Infantino says Uefa ready to act
• Infantino: 'This kind of player ownership is a growing threat'

www.guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 February 2012 16.17 GMT

Uefa has confirmed it will consider banning from the Champions League players whose transfer rights are owned by third parties. Gianni Infantino, the general secretary of European football's governing body, said the practice – which is already outlawed in the Premiershit and France's Ligue 1 – could not be allowed to continue.

"This kind of player ownership is a growing threat. We will ourselves look into this matter because it cannot continue in this manner."

Third-party ownership is allowed in Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal. Officials from England and France have already complained to Uefa that clubs could use such investments to circumvent financial fair play regulations.

Infantino said he would "certainly look into" the possibility of banning third party-owned players from the Champions League and Europa League.

Fifa's rules do not prohibit investors buying stakes in players, providing they have no control over when they can play or when they are bought and sold.

The Premiershit is opposed to third-party ownership because "it threatens the integrity of competitions, reduces the flow of transfer revenue contained within the game and has the potential to exert external influences on players' transfer decisions".

It banned the practice in 2007 following the controversy over the transfers of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from Corinthians to West Ham.

[taz]

UEFA Champions League - Round of 16 - 1st legs

Lyon 1-0 APOEL Nicosia
Napoli 3-1 Chelsea
Milan 4-0 Arsenal
Basel 1-0 Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Barcelona
CSKA Moscow 1-1 Real Madrid
Zenit St Petersburg 3-2 Benfica
Marseille 1-0 Inter

[RomaShield27]

[taz]

UEFA Champions League - Round of 16 - 2nd legs

APOEL Nicosia 1-0 Lyon (AET) (Agg: 1-1) (APOEL Nicosia won 4-3 on penalties)
Chelsea 4-1 Napoli (AET) (Agg: 5-4)
Arsenal 3-0 Milan (Agg: 3-4)
Bayern Munich 7-0 Basel (Agg: 7-1)
Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Agg: 10-2)
Real Madrid 4-1 CSKA Moscow (Agg: 5-2)
Benfica 2-0 Zenit St Petersburg (Agg: 4-3)
Inter 2-1 Marseille (Agg: 2-2) (Marseille won on away goals rule)

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals Draw

APOEL Nicosia v Real Madrid
Marseille v Bayern Munich
Benfica v Chelsea
Milan v Barcelona

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Semi Finals Draw

Marseille/Bayern Munich v APOEL Nicosia/Real Madrid
Benfica/Chelsea v Milan/Barcelona

[Savant]

That's a pretty bad draw for calcio. I don't see how Milan can get past Barcelona.

As happy as I was with the first legs of the Last 16, the second legs left me really annoyed. What has happened to the Italian teams' mentality? They seem to completely switch off like a deer staring into headlights for the 2nd leg. Milan could have been dumped out by Arsenal despite going to the Emirates with 4 goals. Napoli were in a weaker position because of the away goal. But still, they went into the game starting with a 2 goal advantage. I know Napoli are inexperienced in the UCL, but to not qualify from that position is still bad.

It seems like the teams are weak mentally. I think it is a combination of: the ineptitude of the coaches at motivating them; and the lack of mental strength of the players. Boateng has a foreign attitude to his team mates and his absence was crucial. His energy makes his team mates look lethargic. Allegri has to feel like a complete waster to see his team almost get knocked out. With Inler/Gargano Napoli have the tireless dogged energy in midfield. But Napoli could not cope with crosses. Losing Maggio was huge, his importance to their style of play was missed.

A frustrating week. I can't stand seeing lack of effort in hunting the ball down and pressing in important games. I know Napoli like to counter, but that is undermined if you are incompetent at defending the initial pressure. I want the Italian teams to defend well. I want players with grinta. Milan need a character like the Gattuso/Roy Keane to keep them pumping along. It just seems that it is absent from many Italian players. I remember thinking this when I was watching the USA friendly. Michael Bradley is someone I have always admired and I felt exemplified this style of play. I am sure he will move from Chievo to a bigger club.

[/RANT]

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals - 1st leg

APOEL Nicosia 0-3 Real Madrid
Benfica 0-1 Chelsea
Marseille 0-2 Bayern Munich
Milan 0-0 Barcelona

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals - 2nd leg

Real Madrid 5-2 APOEL Nicosia (Agg: 8-2)
Bayern Munich 2-0 Marseille (Agg: 4-0)
Chelsea 2-1 Benfica (Agg: 3-1)
Barcelona 3-1 Milan (Agg: 3-1)

UEFA Champions League Semi Finals

Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
Chelsea v Barcelona

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Semi Finals - 1st Leg

Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid
Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Semi Finals - 2nd Leg

Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (AET) (Agg: 3-3) (Bayern Munich won on penalties)
Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea (Agg: 2-3)

2012 UEFA Champions League Final

Bayern Munich v Chelsea

[taz]

Playoff Round

Champions Route

Basel v CFR Cluj
Helsingborgs v Celtic
BATE Borisov v Hapoel Kiryat Shmona
AEL Limassol v Anderlecht
Dinamo Zagreb v Maribor

League Route

Braga v Udinese
Spartak Moscow v Fenerbahce
Malaga v Panathinaikos
Borussia Monchengladbach v Dynamo Kiev
Lille v Copenhagen

[forzaitalia]

Please qualify, Udinese.

[RomaShield27]

Decent draw for them, hope they can make it.

[taz]

UEFA Champions League 2012-13 Group Stage Draw

Group A

Porto
Dynamo Kiev
Paris St Germain
Dinamo Zagreb

Group B

Arsenal
Schalke
Olympiacos
Montpellier

Group C

Milan
Zenit St Petersburg
Anderlecht
Malaga

Group D

Real Madrid
Manchester City
Ajax
Borussia Dortmund

Group E

Chelsea
Shakhtar Donetsk
Juventus
Nordsjaelland

Group F

Bayern Munich
Valencia
Lille
BATE Borisov

Group G

Barcelona
Benfica
Spartak Moscow
Celtic

Group H

Manchester United
Braga
Galatasaray
CFR Cluj

[RomaShield27]

/ Published: Tuesday 11 September 2012, 10.30CET

The UEFA Club Financial Control Body's investigatory chamber has announced that 23 clubs involved in 2012/13 UEFA club competitions have had their prize money temporarily withheld.

The UEFA Club Financial Control Body's (CFCB) investigatory chamber, chaired by former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene, has today announced that 23 clubs involved in 2012/13 UEFA club competitions have seen the payment of their prize money temporarily withheld pending further investigation.

As part of the first measure of the financial fair play requirements included in the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations 2012, the clubs participating in 2012/13 UEFA club competitions had to provide information regarding the status of any overdue payables as at 30 June 2012. Following its last meeting in August 2012, the CFCB investigatory chamber has identified that important overdue payables towards other clubs, and/or towards employees or social/tax authorities existed in 23 cases.

These cases involve the following 23 clubs:
FK Borac Banja Luka (BIH)
FK Sarajevo (BIH)
FK Željezničar (BIH)
PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL)
HNK Hajduk Split (CRO)
NK Osijek (CRO)
Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Málaga CF (ESP)
Maccabi Netanya FC (ISR)
FK Shkendija 79 (MKD)
Floriana FC (MLT)
FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
FK Rudar Pjevlja (MNE)
Ruch Chorzów (POL)
Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
FC Dinamo Bucureşti (ROU)
FC Rapid Bucureşti (ROU)
FC Vaslui (ROU)
FC Rubin Kazan (RUS)
FK Partizan (SRB)
FK Vojvodina (SRB)
Eskişehirspor (TUR)
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

Consequently, the CFCB investigatory chamber will continue their investigations and request these clubs to provide an updated situation as of 30 September 2012 with regards to overdue payables towards other clubs, employees and social/tax authorities.

This conservatory measure will remain into force until all identified balances have been settled in full or until a final decision by the CFCB adjudicatory chamber is taken.

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