jose - soccer

Liverpool have now knocked both Manchester clubs out of cup competitions in the space of four days, which counts as success in these parts whatever the league situation. Last week Kenny Dalglish was scathing of his players' efforts in losing to lowly Bolton Wanderers, this time the smile was back, at least until he was asked a question about the Liverpool fans' constant booing of Evra. Before considering the football, what there was of it, you will be wanting to know about the chanting. Liverpool obviously won the volume contest. There were far more people singing: "There's only one lying bastard," than were rejoining with: "There's only one racist bastard." With all the pre-match debate focusing on Evra's participation, United's goalkeeping situation had been overlooked, Ferguson sprang a surprise by choosing this high-profile encounter to reintroduce David de Gea to first-team duties. It was not a decision that paid off.

Liverpool began to crowd out the young goalkeeper at corners and took the lead after 21 minutes when Steven Gerrard swung one over from the left and De Gea came for the ball but found himself blocked by Andy Carroll, leaving Daniel Agger an easy header. United had begun the match looking the more threatening, with Antonio Valencia striking a post after a good run, though until the first goal there was little apart from the rivalry between fans to quicken the pulse and almost no chance of the occasion being remembered for the football, as had been the wish of both managers beforehand. Playing with only Carroll up front Liverpool rarely bothered De Gea apart from set pieces, and though United also lacked their usual attacking edge in the absence of Wayne Rooney they managed to get back into the game with a well-worked goal before the interval. Antonio Valencia sent Rafael da Silva racing down the right with a backheel flick and, though José Enrique was still favourite to reach the ball first, the United full-back took on his opposite number and delivered a low cross, met perfectly at the near post by Park Ji-sung with a firm finish that surprised Pepe Reina.

Liverpool had an appeal for a penalty turned down at the start of the second half when Chris Smalling stumbled in the area and appeared to put his hand on the ball in falling, then a minute later a rare chance fell Danny Welbeck's way and he failed to take advantage, pushing the ball past Reina towards an empty goal but not firmly enough to prevent Martin Skrtel arriving to tidy up behind his goalkeeper. Charlie Adam came on for the last half-hour and immediately offered a more direct threat than Jamie Carragher had managed from defensive midfield, launching a high cross intended to test De Gea and presumably gaining encouragement when the goalkeeper fumbled it to concede another corner. When Gerrard tried the same tactic from a similar distance it was clear Liverpool had been instructed to play on De Gea, though the Liverpool captain left the field shortly afterwards, making way for Craig Bellamy. Just when it looked as though the afternoon would end in a tame draw, Liverpool struck. (guardian.co.uk)

Gerrard was replaced by Liverpool's midweek hero Craig Bellamy with just under 20 minutes to go as both sides pressed for a winner. The game looked to be heading towards a draw until Kuyt — another second-half sub — became the hero with his first goal of the season. Reina's long boot forward was flicked on by Carroll over the head of Evra and the Dutch striker found himself clear through on goal to fire past De Gea at his near post. Kuyt should have put the game to bed moments later after Carroll had hit the bar but it wasn't to matter for the Reds who can now look forward to Sunday's draw. (thesun.co.uk)

Liverpool, who have shown when they attack, can be one of the most entertaining teams in the league, went ahead 2-1, but then found themselves trailing three times before finally leveling the score for good at four all. To nobody’s surprise it came in injury time after Arsenal went up 4-3 in the 90th minute. It was the sixth goal of the second half. Arshavin, who the genius Arsene Wenger left to rot on the bench for 75 minutes in Arsenal’s FA Cup loss to Chelsea on the weekend, was deadly in his finishing, while Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun scored twice for Liverpool. And when you throw in two goals that were ruled offside by Arsenal, the ball hit the back of the net 10 times. Well actually nine, as one of Benayoun’s just managed to cross the goal line. Benayoun impresses me every time out. I think he’s a very underrated player and has been a key in Liverpool’s push for the title. While Liverpool have one point more than they had yesterday, and have temporarily moved into first place in the EPL on goal difference, they actually dropped two points in the race for the title. While Liverpool fans no doubt witnessed a match of epic proportions, this will soon sink in and it will be Man United and Chelsea fans who will actually benefit most from this game. It just goes to show how exciting a football match can be when both teams go for goals as mistakes are usually forced. Every manager in the league should be forced to watch the tape of this match.

(source: tribal, goal, William Hill Tennis Betting)

Manchester United keeper Edwin Van der Saar has set a new clean sheets' record by going 14 games without conceding a single goal. The FIFA approved International Federation for Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) announced that Van der Saar broke the previous record which was set by Egypt's Essam Al-Hadari. Ending by the United against Fulham game on Wednesday, Van der Saar has now gone 1302 minutes without conceding, surpassing Al-Hadari's 1288 minutes. The Dutch guardian's net was last hit on November 12th 2008, when Arsenal's Samir Nasri scored against Manchester United.

Manchester United players were first to salute Van der Saar, confirming that the 38-year-old's achievement is a massive boost for the whole team. "It's unbelievable. Edwin deserves it; he's a great man, a great goalkeeper. He works a lot - for his age! - and I'm really happy for him," said Cristiano Ronaldo. "Not just for him, the whole team, all the lads, especially the defenders, who support him a lot."

From his side, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Van der Saar has played a great role in the team's victories over the last couple of years. "Edwin brings absolute calm and assurance to the players in front of him," said the United boss. "We have changed he back four I don't know how many times and not conceded. That says a lot for every player who has come in and done a job."

former Forest keeper Chris Woods has poured cold water on Edwin van der Saar's record attempt. The Man United stopper bids to break Woods' record – of going 1,196 minutes without conceding a goal – against West Ham tomorrow. But Woods, who set the record playing for Rangers in the 1986-87 season, insists Van der Saar has a long way to go to beat it. "Nobody seems to be counting the goal he conceded in Japan in the Fifa Club World Cup," said Woods, who is currently coaching at Everton. "If you count that, his record is nine games, or 810 minutes. "It was a Fifa recognised fixture. We are not just talking about league fixtures because my record covered both league and cup games."

Woods, who was a League Cup hero at Forest, never played a league game for the Reds because of the form of Peter Shilton. He left for QPR in 1979 to find regular first-team football. Woods, who also played for Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Colorado Rapids, Southampton and Burnley, was good enough to win 43 full England caps.

(source: filgoal, thisisnottingham.co.uk)

Manchester United’s dominance of English football, on and off the pitch, is underlined today with the release of a financial survey that shows a £45m leap in United’s year-on-year income. Thanks in large part to last season’s Premier League and Champions League double, United’s turnover grew by 21 per cent in the 2007-08 season to £257.1m. This makes United by far the highest-earning club in Britain, ahead of Chelsea (in second place, with income of £212.9m in the same period), Arsenal (£209.3m) and Liverpool (£167m).

The figures are revealed in the latest Football Money League report by Deloitte, in a survey that shows Real Madrid remain the world’s richest club in terms of revenue, ahead of United in second, then Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Only a drastic slump in the value of sterling has prevented United from reclaiming the title of “world’s richest club” from Real. Real Madrid’s income for 2007-08 rose a relatively modest four per cent to 365.8m euros, or £289.6m when converted at the June 2008 exchange rate of £1 = 1.2632 euros. United’s income at the same rate equated to 324.8m euros. But sterling has crashed significantly, and if Deloitte had used the same exchange rate as in their previous report (£1 = 1.4856 euros, from June 2007), United’s latest income would have been 381.9m euros against Real’s 365.8m euros.

One of the most intriguing aspects of today’s report is that Deloitte, rather than the clubs themselves, has become the vehicle of choice for headline income figures to be released. United will provide more details of their results in due course, including data on large profits, but Chelsea are expected to remain conspicuously quiet this week about their own results. A press conference and briefing, scheduled for Friday, has been indefinitely shelved, and it is understood that this is partly because of the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari. His pay-off, of around £7.5m, would not have been in the 2007-08 accounts but would have prompted embarrassing questions about Chelsea’s huge and ongoing losses.

An annual loss of £74.8m in 2006-07 on turnover of £190.5m meant the club had posted cumulative losses of £384m in four years. Haemorrhaging of money at such levels has always heaped ridicule on the long-standing claims of Chelsea’s chief executive, Peter Kenyon, that the club can break even by 2010. Yet further losses in the tens of millions are expected in the 2007-08 figures. And combined with the latest change in manager and wobble in form (and the financial ramifications of both) any suggestions of financial self-sufficiency soon are hollow jokes, as, increasingly, are Kenyon and Roman Abramovich themselves.

As the Deloitte report points out, Chelsea’s annual income growth of 12 per cent (£22.4m) in 2007-08 was driven mainly by increased TV cash, “but the club needs new successes with its match day and commercial revenues to deliver future growth and keep pace with its biggest European rivals.”

1 (1) Real Madrid £289.6m
Real Madrid's 4 per cent revenue growth is more modest than recent years, but the club have doubled their revenues since 2002

2 (2) Manchester United £257.1m
Manchester United's success in winning the Premier League and Champions League has contributed to significantly-increased revenue in 2007/08, but the depreciation of the pound against the euro means they remain in second position.

3 (3) FC Barcelona £244.4m
Barcelona's revenue increased by only 6 per cent.

4 (7) Bayern Munich £233.8m

5 (4) Chelsea £212.9m
Chelsea enjoyed a rise of 11.5 per cent.

6 (5) Arsenal £209.3m
Arsenal enjoyed a rise 18 per cent

7 (8) Liverpool £167.0m
Liverpool have gone up a place to seventh with a 25 per cent rise in turnover.

8 (6) AC Milan £165.8m

9 (11) AS Roma £138.9m

10 (9) Internazionale £136.9m

(source: independent.co.uk)

AIG, the American insurance firm, has confirmed it will not renew its sponsorship deal with Manchester United, however the club remain confident of securing an improved deal elsewhere when their current contract ends in May 2010.

The company, which has suffered massive losses during the global economic downturn, says it remained in discussions over its current deal with the world and European champions, which is due to expire in May 2010.

Despite the news United say they have already opened discussions with a number of global companies, who they feel, could offer United an improvement on their current deal. Sahara, the Indian financial services corporation, has already confirmed United have made contact to gauge its interest in sponsoring the club, while Saudi Telecom have also been sounded out about replacing the AIG deal.

The Old Trafford club also have strong links in both Malaysia and South Korea, so even at a time of financial prudence around the world, United are still optimistic of bettering their current contract, worth £19million including various financial packages

"In line with industry practice, Manchester United is exploring the possibility of a shirt sponsor for the new 2010/11 season," a United spokesman said. "The club is in dialogue with a select number of top companies worldwide and has so far received sufficient interest to be confident it can improve on its current £19m annual partnership with AIG."

AIG came close to collapsing in the final few months of last year as it fell victim to the worst housing market since the Great Depression. The situation became so bad that the US government was forced to extend it a $150billion (£109.3 billion) loan, which it is unlikely to get back, which almost certainly saved AIG from oblivion.

AIG reached its perilous state after having to pay out tens of billions of dollars on insurance policies written on mortgages that homeowners cannot possibly repay. It will also make tens of billions of additional losses on complex investments tied to properties that are plummeting in value

(source: timesonline.co.uk)

The soccer team will find it hard to get an equally lucrative sponsorship deal from 2010.It looks like the American government is not interested in bankrolling top soccer brand Manchester United anymore. After taking control of struggling insurance company American International Group last year--as the financial crisis threatened to engulf some of the world's biggest companies--Uncle Sam does not want to renew the insurer's $78.0 million sponsorship deal with the British team.

This will be a problem for Manchester United, which relies on sponsorship for around one-third of its revenues. If it can't get a new sponsor to pay out a similar or higher amount in 2010, when the contract with AIG (nyse: AIG - news - people ) runs out, club owner Malcolm Glazer will find it even harder to repay the debts he saddled the team with when he bought it in 2005.

"They have to find a deal of equal standing, that is the critical issue," said Sean Hamil, an academic at the University of London's Birkbeck Sports Business Center. He told Forbes that this was unlikely to happen, given the troubles facing the corporate world, and that this would have an effect on Manchester United's ability to keep paying for star players.

As for who could replace AIG, speculation is rife it could be insurer Prudential (nyse: PUK - news - people ) or Indian conglomerate Sahara India. Either way, there are already signs that Glazer is tightening his belt, according to Duncan Drasdo, of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust. He told Forbes that Glazer was rumored to be putting his American football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, team up for sale. He also said that Manchester United was taking ticket money from members' bank accounts earlier than planned.

AIG is not the only example of how the economic crisis is seeping into the sports world. German automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke (other-otc: BAMXF - news - people ) lost Swiss bank Credit Suisse (nyse: CS - news - people ) as its Formula One sponsor on Tuesday, while Japan's Honda quit the auto sport in December.

Even in soccer, two high-profile Premier League sponsors are banks: Barclays (nyse: BCS - news - people ) and Northern Rock. A spokesman for Barclays told Forbes the bank had not yet begun talks on renewing its Premier League sponsorship contract, and that it would not comment on the financial details. A Northern Rock representative was unavailable for comment.

Manchester United was ranked the most valuable soccer team in the world by Forbes last year, with a team value of $1.8 billion.

(source: forbes.com)

Cristiano Ronaldo beat off competition from Lionel Messi, Xavi, as well as Fernando Torres, and last year’s winner Kaka, to win the FIFA World Player of the Year Award with a total of 935 vote points. In second place was Barcelona star Lionel Messi with 678, while Liverpool striker Fernando Torres finished third with 203. AC Milan star Kaka was not far behind in fourth with 183, while Barcelona's Xavi ended up fifth with 155.

The number 7 of Manchester United was designated best football player of the year for 2008 by FIFA this Monday, the second athlete from the Sporting Clube de Portugal school in Lisbon, after Luís Figo, to win this prize. With 23 years and a long time to grow, Cristiano Ronaldo has the world at his feet. At 23 years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot with 42 goals scored in the last season for Manchester United, being Europe's best scorer and best player now the world. He also won the championship of the Premier League in England, and the Champions’ League. He followed this up this term by lifting the Club World Cup in Japan. "The last season for me was the best in the world. And he is a very intelligent player who decides games. When you think he’ll be on the left, then he appears on the right. When you expect him to kick from the left, then there’s a kick from the right."

Ronaldo caps off a clean sweep of the major awards, having also picked up the prestigious Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) at the end of 2008. The 23-year-old becomes the first English-based player to be named FIFA World Player of the Year, and only the second Portuguese, following in the footsteps of Luis Figo, who triumphed in 2001.

There is no question as to who was the most effective footballer of 2008; like him or not, Cristiano Ronaldo had an on-field effect quite unlike anybody else in the calendar year. The 23-year-old inspired his club side to the Premier League title, Champions League and World Championship and picked up all the individual trinkets and accolades along the way. An exceptional 42 goals in the 2007-08 season stood Ronaldo in phenomenal stead and some murmurs even suggested that the Portuguese forward had overtaken George Best in the affections of the United faithful.

Despite his success and talent, a player of his calibre has never cut such a polemic figure. His detractors often overlook or undersell his achievements and instead point to his posturing, diving, complaining and selfishness as indicators of an overinflated ego and a delusional halfwit foolish enough to believe his own hype, and then some.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but our team have given their perception of the best and worst that could come from his winning of yet another award: the FIFA World Player of the Year.

(source: goal.com, etc.)

Manchester United has thrashed Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford as the English Premier League champion moved an ominous step closer to leader Liverpool. Nemanja Vidic headed United in front in first-half stoppage time and Wayne Rooney doubled its advantage on the hour with a close-range volley. Dimitar Berbatov completed the rout in the 87th minute to lift United into third place. Alex Ferguson's side is now just five points behind Liverpool and one behind a Chelsea side which was desperately lacking any spark and wilted alarmingly.

United has two games in hand of both its main title rivals. "(Chelsea) had a lot of good possession and they are a threat when they get possession.. .but I don't think they really got a clear-cut chance," Ferguson told Sky Sports. "We said before that we still had all the main teams at home and we really need to win those games. "Janauary is a big month for us with eight games but we've got the squad to cope."

United faces Wigan Athletic on Thursday morning (AEDT) and Bolton Wanderers next weekend. Should it win both, it will be top of the league before Liverpool faces Everton next Tuesday. Defeat was Chelsea's first on the road in the league this season and continued manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's poor record against the top sides since taking over at Stamford Bridge. "This has done big damage to us," the Brazilian said. "We came here to win and now we need to think about what happened with some players." Wigan won for the sixth time in seven league matches when Maynor Figueroa's late header earned a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, which is third from bottom.

United was dealt a blow before kick-off when central defender Rio Ferdinand was ruled out with a recurrence of a back injury that will require a visit to a specialist next week. However his absence was hardly noticed as keeper Edwin van der Sar barely had a save to make as United made it eight league games without conceding a goal. A yellow card for Frank Lampard after a foul that left Cristiano Ronaldo in a heap set the tone for a messy opening to a match that could be a pivotal point in the season.

United appealed for a penalty when Ashley Cole appeared to block a cross with his arm, but it took it half an hour to force Petr Cech into a save from a Berbatov shot. United began to ratchet up the pressure on the Chelsea goal just before the interval. John Terry was forced into one desperate block from a Park Ji-sung shot before Ronaldo had a headed goal disallowed after referee Howard Webb ordered a crafty United corner to be re-taken - much to the fury of Rooney.

Chelsea failed to learn its lesson and as Giggs delivered the ball again in stoppage time, Berbatov got a slight touch and Serbian defender Vidic crept in at the far post to nod the ball past Cech. The goal knocked the stuffing out of Chelsea and despite Scolari sending on Nicolas Anelka to partner Didier Drogba up front after the break, it was United which moved up a gear. A sweet movement on the hour mark saw Ronaldo's back heel release Patrice Evra and his pacey cross was met first time by Rooney to double United's lead. United could have scored on numerous occasions as Chelsea wilted before Berbatov supplied the final flourish, connecting with a Ronaldo free kick.

(source: www.abc.net.au)

Wayne Rooney scored late in the second half Sunday to lead 10-man Manchester United to a 1-0 win over Ecuador’s Liga de Quito in the final of the Club World Cup. Rooney took a pass from Cristiano Ronaldo in the 73rd minute and fired an angled right-footed blast into the bottom corner past diving Liga goalkeeper Jose Cevallos. “It was a very difficult game especially after going down to 10 men,” said Rooney. “I’m very happy to have scored and for us to become the best club in the world is something we can be very proud of.” United was reduced to 10 men when defender Nemanja Vidic was given a red card in the 49th minute for elbowing Claudio Bieler in the face.

United becomes the first English club to win the cup in its current format. The Red Devils participated in the first Club World Cup in 2000 without making the final, while Liverpool lost the 2005 decider. In 1999, United did win the predecessor to the Club World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup which matched the European and South American champions.

Liga didn’t have a shot on target until Manso rifled a left-foot blast from the top of the area in the 63rd minute only to see United keeper Edwin Van Der Sar make a spectacular diving save. Liga’s Alejandro Manso came dangerously close to equalizing in the 89th minute with a long-range shot that Van Der Sar tipped over the bar.

Looking to add to their Premier League and Champions League titles, United controlled the flow of play from the outset. Rooney had a superb chance 10 minutes in when he played a long ball from Vidic off his chest and unleashed a powerful volley from the top of the area that Cevallos stopped with a diving save. Ronaldo set up Carlos Tevez 10 minutes later with a cross but the Argentine’s low header was saved by Cevallos, who kept his team in the match in the first half. Rooney set up Park Ji-sung after a nifty one-two with Tevez but the South Korean fired into the hands of Cevallos late in the first half. Jairo Campos had Liga’s best scoring chance in the opening minutes when he redirected a Manso free kick inches wide of the post.

Alex Ferguson’s squad qualified for the Club World Cup in May after beating fellow English side Chelsea in a penalty shootout in the Champions League final at Moscow. Liga qualified for the competition by becoming the first Ecuadorean club to win South America’s Copa Libertadores. Liga defeated Mexico’s Pachuca 2-0 on Wednesday to reach Sunday’s final, while United advanced after a 5-3 win over Japan’s Gamba Osaka.

Gamba secured a third-place finish earlier Sunday with a 1-0 win over Pachuca. Striker Masato Yamazaki scored the winner in the 30th minute when he volleyed a superb pass from fellow forward Ryuji Bando past goalkeeper Miguel Calero.

(source: http://www.japantoday.com)

Newly-crowned European Footballer of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his joy at picking up the coveted Golden Ball accolade. It was perhaps an expected victory in the 2008 Ballon d’Or race. Manchester United and Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo convincingly brushed aside his rivals, Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres by tallying a record 446 points, beating the previous mark of 444 amassed by Kaka last year.

In a brief interview with the publication that hands out the award, France Football Magazine, Ronaldo expressed his delight to join the elite group of players to take home the gong.


“To win this award at just 23 years of age is incredible, because I only started my career a few years ago,” he told the magazine. “But it is fantastic as there were a lot of other big names in the race this year such as [Lionel] Messi, [Fernando] Torres and even Xavi. “All these players could have won it, but nevertheless, I’m happy to have taken it,” he added.

Ronaldo then went on to show is gratitude to his teammates for playing a part in his success.“I have to thank all my teammates who helped me become the best. “I was never afraid of whether or not I would win it because I was always conscious of the great year I had last season.

“This is one of the happiest days of my life. Those who know me or who have lived with me know that this is a dream come true for me. “But tomorrow morning in training, I will still be the same person as always,” he concluded.

Ronaldo becomes only the third Portuguese, after Eusebio and Luis Figo, to win the Ballon d'Or.

(source: KS Leong, Goal.com)

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech reckons Arsenal will be out of the title race if they lose to the Premier League leaders at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Arsenal have lost five league matches already this season, have slipped 10 points behind pacesetters Chelsea and Liverpool and are currently not even in the top four. Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger believes the London derby offers a chance for his side to kickstart their title challenge. "Ideally, I do not want to be 13 points behind Chelsea so let's make it seven on Sunday night," he said. "We know that direct confrontations with top teams become vital when you are in our position."


Champions Manchester United are also in action, knowing they can ill afford any slips at local rivals Manchester City. United, eight points behind Chelsea and Liverpool with a game in hand, were beaten home and away by City last season.

Tottenham Hotspur's resurgence under new manager Harry Redknapp will be tested when they host mid-table Everton at White Hart Lane looking to move clear of the relegation zone.

United have only won one of their lat three Premier League matches and Ferguson says they must start grinding out results even if they are not playing at their best. He added: "Results are important and we need to start grinding out results. Last season we had a period where we kept winning 1-0. "If that's the way we need to do it this season, then we need to start doing it very soon. Chelsea and Liverpool are out there at the moment, and it's about us getting back into the race."

United are currently eight points behind Chelsea and Liverpool with a game in hand. The Blues and Reds both dropped points last week only for United to do the same against Aston Villa. Ferguson will therefore hop United can improve on the 1-0 defeat they suffered to City in the corresponding fixture last season.

AIG recently posted a third-quarter of $24.5 billion, prompting the US government to rework the terms of it’s aid to the insurance giant in order to a) extend more money to AIG (another $40 billion, after $123 billion had already gone into buying up AIG equity and b) significantly reduce repayment terms to help stabilise the company and allow it to recover fully (as opposed to collapsing under the current crisis or under the weight of the government handouts).

For Manchester United, the message is clear - if there was any hope that AIG would recover in time to renew their deal as sponsors of the Manchester United shirt, they are now shot. David Gill was recently quoted as saying that United would have no trouble in finding a replacement if the need arose - it’s time for the Manchester United chairman to put that to the test and ensure that a shirt sponsor paying as much (and if possible more) than AIG’s 14m / year deal is brought in before the agreement with AIG ends, or worse, before AIG says they can’t pay their next year’s installment.
The US government has stepped in with a new package of aid for troubled insurance giant American International Group. It comes after the firm - which sponsors Manchester United Football Club - announced third quarter losses of £14.7bn.

AIG made a £1.8bn profit the year before. The rescue package includes a £20.5bn cash injection in return for partial ownership of the firm. Announced jointly by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, it takes the sum pumped into the company to around £90bn. As part of the new deal, the Fed is reducing a £51bn loan it had made available to AIG to £36bn. It is also replacing a separate £22.7bn loan to the insurance company with a £31bn aid package. The government said the measures were needed to "keep the company strong and facilitate its ability to complete its restructuring process successfully." The Treasury Department, which is overseeing the rescue operation, has promised to invest £150bn in America's banks to get them lending again.

Until now all of the help provided for AIG was coming from the Federal Reserve.
It said earlier this year it would lend AIG a total of £74bn, then gave it access to a further £12.5bn to help it pay wages and other key expenses. AIG has said repeatedly its kit sponsorship deal with Manchester United will not be affected by its financial woes. The contract, which is worth £56.5m over four years, is the most lucrative in the Premier League.

source: Forbes, Sky

Samir Nasri struck twice as Arsenal beat Manchester United and delivered an emphatic confirmation of manager Arsene Wenger’s belief that they are still serious Premier League contenders. Nasri’s deflected shot opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and he doubled their advantage three minutes after the interval with a powerful finish from Cesc Fabregas’s precise pass.

Substitute Rafael da Silva volleyed United back into contention with a minute of normal time left - but Arsenal survived six extra minutes and an outbreak of mass anxiety at The Emirates to claim three points. It was a victory they merited, with United creating and wasting chances, but never carrying the same sense of self-belief as Arsenal in a highly-charged atmosphere.

It was a victory that made all the supporters of this London club very happy. They needed it desperately and it came perhaps at the best time that they could imagine. Well, the final score was 2-1 and I said I would have kept the lead of 2-0 until the very last moment. Manchester united could pull back one goal at the 87th minute but it was too late and too little. With this win, arsenal is now at the third position in the league table. On the other hand, Manchester united is at the fourth position in the league table and they have played one match less than arsenal.

BBC reported:
"Samir Nasri struck twice as Arsenal beat Manchester United and delivered an emphatic confirmation of manager Arsene Wenger’s belief that they are still serious Premier League contenders".

The best thing that the London based club was the emergence of a new star in Samir Nasri. There is a lot of the expectations from Samir Nasri but until now, he was not up to the mark to satisfy the supporters.

www.eplmatches.com
www.southasiafair.com

Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have established themselves in the world top five of highest-earning clubs, according to a new report. They made £580m between them last season and Deloitte, the business consultancy which compiles the Football Money League, believes their revenues will only increase as English clubs as a whole seek to maximise their money-making potential abroad.

"Manchester United have 300m overseas supporters but do not make as much money from them as possible," said Deloitte's Alan Switzer. "Even £2 extra from each fan would make an enormous difference. That is something all the big English clubs are now focusing on. The idea of a 39th game is part of that strategy."

A ninth Premier League title combined with a run to the Champions League semi-finals and a £14m-a-year shirt sponsorship deal helped United earn £212.1m in 2007. Chelsea made £190.5m in the same period and Arsenal took £177.6m, mainly from corporate revenue which doubled to £91m in their first season at the Emirates Stadium.

There are six English clubs in the top 20, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United being the others. Financial analysts expect more to follow in 2008 because of this season's £300m Premier League broadcast deal.

The rich list 2008
1 (1) Real Madrid £236.2m
2 (4) Manchester United £212.1m
3 (2) Barcelona £195.3m
4 (6) Chelsea £190.5m
5 (9) Arsenal £177.6m
6 (5) Milan £153.0m
7 (8) Bayern Munich £150.3m
8 (10) Liverpool £133.9m
9 (7) Internazionale £131.3m
10 (12) Roma £106.1m
11 (15) Tottenham Hotspur £103.1m
12 (3) Juventus £97.7m
13 (11) Lyon £94.6m
14 (13) Newcastle United £87.1m
15 (16) Hamburg £81.0m
16 (14) Schalke 04 £76.9m
17 (-) Celtic £75.2m
18 (-) Valencia £72.4m
19 (-) Marseille £66.6m
20 (-) Werder Bremen £65.5m
(source: guardian.co.uk)

Manchester United shirt with a big AIG, have become icons in the successful club in English persepakbolaan. However, in the last week, the company is steady cook disintegration of the disintegration of other United States companies. Will the disintegration of the sponsor of this disastrous also for the team "Red Devil"?

1. Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus)
Since the stand: 30 January 1911
Manager: Temuri Ketsbaia
Surviving the group phase: Beat Olympiacos CFP (Agg: 3-1)
Cyprus champion this history by becoming the first team Cyprus, which passes to the Champions League. Despite being the best in Cyprus, from the layout of the players that there is only name Traianos Dellas and the manager Temuri Ketsbaia who has been known publicly. Dellas was transverse cross with Sheffield United, Perugia, Roma and the U.S.. Meanwhile, Ketsbaia draw experience with playing in the English League Primer for Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, Anorthosis have shown that they have a greater opportunity to escape to the heat than 16 large Werder Bremen or Panathinaikos FC are a group with them. Matchday 3 will be very important because they will be faced with the Nerazzurri, and the match will be a test for the club berlogo Phoenix bird to know their position in the elite European teams.


2. 1907 CFR Cluj (Romania)
Since the stand: 1907
Manager: Maurizio Trombetta
Club origin city Cluj-Napoca is the most surprising team in the Champions League this time after the bend to U.S. Roman 2-1, and reach a point of the season and finalists Chelsea.

Four digits to open the eyes of other teams and make Giallorossi and Bordeaux-ketar because when the team originally formed by the railway workers are most likely to accompany the Blues to act as the favorite of 16.

Results apart from the appearance of the players also attributed to the strategy right from Trombetta. The manager who only play in Serie A during two seasons that valuable lessons in the field of Francesco Guidolin to become assistants at the time Udinese and Bologna.

When Cluj continue to be able to reach a number in the next MatchDay, then stay waiting time when the team was broken into after andalannya players and the manager also purchased by other European big clubs.


3. FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)
Since the stand: 1973
Manager: Viktor Goncharenko
Surviving the group phase: over Levski Sofia (Agg: 2-1)
BATE new name will appear on the surface when the topic is discussed Alexander Hleb. This happens because BATE into the senior team's first sharpen the career Hleb in the world of football.

In addition, the performance of the team is only limited in the scope of Belarus with a league champion as much as 4 times.

In the Champions League first season, yellow, blue team together to complete the Fire group, which also consists of Juventus, Real Madrid, and other team debutan Zenit St. Petersburg.

Rather than direct diver placed a lock, even BATE successfully seize a number of Juventus though less from Madrid. It seems children Viktor Goncharenko is better to try to survive in the third position to be able to pass to stage UEFA Cup.


4. Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)
Since the stand: 1925
Manager: Dick Advocaat
To pass innings Group: UEFA Cup champions 2007/08
From the third debutan other team, Zenit is a team that most dijagokan in the first season in the Champions League. UEFA Cup of diraihnya that, and also the victory against Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup arena shows it is correct.

In addition to achievements in the field, Zenit also estimated to be automatically done more with the financial support from Gazprom in Russia's largest company, which is also the owner of Zenit.

Advocaat of course, must be specially targeted, and at least 16 large position in the second innings when the group ended. That means the Zenit must remove one of Madrid or the Bianconeri. Not an easy task, of course.

But if Juventus see down of appearance in the domestic and Europe this time, not the second position may not be achieved. Moreover, when Andrei Arshavin still play for Zenit and the club rejected a bid from England, Spain, and Italy who want to buy.

(source: Goal.com, written by Alexander Tangidy)