Podolski to skipper Cologne

COLOGNE: Germany international striker Lukas Podolski was named the new captain of struggling Bundesliga side Cologne on Thursday, succeeding defender Youssef Mohamad.

“It’s a great honour for me to become captain and it’s an enormous challenge,” said the 25-year-old, after being handed the armband at his childhood club by coach Frank Schaefer.

Cologne are third from bottom in the Bundesliga and firmly in the relegation zone.

  

Ballack returns after four-month absence

LEVERKUSEN: German international Michal Ballack played his first match in four months on Thursday, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 friendly win over Second Division side Oberhausen.

The 34-year-old has been out of action since suffering a leg fracture on his Bayer Leverkusen debut on Sept 11 having missed the World Cup because of an ankle injury while at Chelsea.

Ballack will now hope to be fit when Leverkusen, who are second in the Bundesliga, resume their league campaign after the winter break on Jan 14 against leaders Borussia Dortmund. 

  

Keane sacked as Ipswich Town manager

LONDON: Former Man­chester United star Roy Keane (pic) has been sacked as manager of Ipswich Town after 20 months in the job, the club confirmed yesterday.

The club have lost seven of their last nine games and the 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Monday left them sitting 19th in the Second Division.

“I can confirm that Ipswich Town have amicably terminated the contract of our manager Roy Keane with immediate effect,” Ipswich chief executive Simon Clegg said at a press conference to announce the decision.

“It’s a sad day for the football club,” Clegg added, saying Keane had reacted to his dismissal with “disappointment and sadness”.

Keane, 39, led the club from eastern England to the semi-finals of the League Cup where they will face Arsenal.

Keane’s sacking also comes just 48 hours before Ipswich face Chelsea in the FA Cup third round tomorrow. First-team coach Ian McParland will take charge at Stamford Bridge.

A combative Irish midfielder who captained United when they won the treble of league, FA Cup and Champions League in the 1998-99 season, Keane started his management career at Sunderland.

He guided Sunderland to promotion to the Premier League but resigned in December 2008 with the club struggling against relegation. He joined Ipswich in April 2009. 

  

FIFA hand out US$40mil from World Cup to clubs

ZURICH: FIFA are handing out US$40mil to clubs whose players took part in last year’s World Cup, though that may not placate European clubs who have labelled the fixed-payment system unrealistic.

Bayern Munich have been the most vociferous critics after their Dutch winger Arjen Robben returned injured from the tournament in South Africa. He has yet to play for the Bavarian club this season.

The biggest payout of US$866,267 goes to Barcelona, followed by Bayern Munich (US$778,667) Chelsea (US$762,667), Liverpool (US$695,600) and Real Madrid (US$678,133), FIFA said.

European clubs took the lion’s share with English clubs receiving US$5,992,533 between them.

The amounts are based on the number of players each club sent to the World Cup and on the number of days spent at the tournament.

“We are pleased that we can share the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the clubs by providing them a share of the benefits of our flagship event, in particular to recognise their efforts in the development of young players”, president Sepp Blatter said on the FIFA website.

FIFA added that the total would rise from US$40mil to US$70mil for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil “to recognise the important part clubs play in the success of the World Cup”.

But Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who is president of the European Clubs’ Association, said in September the system was out of touch with reality and that FIFA needed to set up an insurance policy.

“For releasing Arjen Robben, I heard we will get something like 57,000 from this US$40mil pot but it (his salary) costs many, many times more,” said Rummenigge.

“The world of the top clubs is maybe different to what they think.”

Nearly US$2mil was handed out to clubs from Japan, whose national side were knocked out in the second round, while clubs from Ghana, who reached the quarter-finals, received only US$222,000 between them.

Clubs from semi-finalists Uruguay, who had only two home-based players in their squad, received only US$186,000.

FIFA said that a total of 400 clubs from 55 countries received payments. 

  

FIFA’s Blatter expects Qatar World Cup in the winter

DOHA: The prospect of the 2022 Qatar World Cup being held in the winter moved a step closer yesterday when FIFA president Sepp Blatter said for the first time that this is what he expects will happen.

Qatar was controversially awarded the right to host the tournament last month despite summer temperatures in the Gulf emirate soaring to well over 40°C.

Concerns have been raised about the health impacts of playing in such searing heat, as well for the fans following the action, and Blatter said winter would make more sense.

“I expect it to be in the winter because when you play football you must protect the main people, the players,” he said yesterday.

“We will take it up at our executive committee meeting in March.”

German legend Franz Beckenbauer, a FIFA executive committee member, and England coach Fabio Capello are among others who have voiced support for a switch of dates.

UEFA president Michel Platini is also said to be sympathetic to the idea, with January temperatures hovering between a more comfortable 20° and 30°C.

But any change would have major implications for domestic competitions in Britain and the rest of Europe where the league programmes would be in full swing.

In England, where many of the biggest names in football play, Wolves manager Mick McCarthy branded the prospect of a winter World Cup as “nonsense” and Blackpool boss Ian Holloway said it was “crazy”.

But Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti and West Ham’s Avram Grant said they were in favour of the change.

Qatar has insisted that it won the right to host the World Cup on its merits. It put forward a proposal to build climate-controlled stadiums that will enable players and fans to escape the worst of the weather, but there have been sceptics amid claims that the decision was political, linked to Qatar’s deep pockets.

Blatter said FIFA had yet to be ap­­proach­ed by Qatar about a change of dates.

“They need to bring together an organising committee, then if they have any wishes on whether they want to change the basic conditions prevailing at the bidding process, then they have to make this demand of the FIFA executive committee,” he said.

“The executive committee is free to change anything. If there really is a will to change dates then we have enough time to do it because we still have 11 years to go.” 

  

Young and fearless China using Kuwait match to test their preparation

DOHA: China test their young squad and Kuwait count on the momentum of their recent Gulf Cup triumph today as they open their Asian Cup campaign in a cut-throat group.

“I want to use this match to test our preparation,” China coach Gao Hongbo said on the eve of the Group A tussle. “We are a young team but we are not afraid of any opponents.”

Kuwait coach Goran Tufegdzic, who guided his side in the last few months to the West Asian Championship and their 10th Gulf Cup title, their first in 12 years, said it would be a “very, very difficult Asian Cup”.

Hosts Qatar and Central Asian heavyweights Uzbekistan are in the same group.

“In our group, there are no favourites. We are the same level,” said the 39-year-old Serb who replaced local coach Mohammed Ibrahim in early 2009 during Kuwait’s struggle in qualifying.

He said the Gulf Cup title, which Kuwait won by beating a second-string Saudi Arabia in the final, would not pressure them.

“It will only bring more motivation to the team.”

Hongbo, who took the job in early 2009 and led China to the East Asian Championship a year ago, agreed: “All four teams in our group can qualify if they are in the other groups.”

He has brought a young squad with an average age of 24, the youngest among the 16 Finalists.

“We are more focused on the future,” said Hongbo, under whom China missed out on a place at the World Cup in South Africa but shocked France 1-0 away in June to make world headlines.

“Our target is to test our tactical philosophy to see if it fits our players,” added the 44-year-old, who said China have had mixed results since Serbian coach Bora Milutinovic guided them to their only World Cup Finals in 2002.

“At my age, I believe I can see China become the champions of Asia.”

China have made nine previous appearances at the continental showcase but the closest they have come to tasting success is runners-up finishes in 1984 and 2004.

Kuwait won the Asian Cup on home soil in 1980, but have not managed to progress beyond the last eight since 1996.

At the last edition in 2007, neither side made an impression with China eliminated in the group phase and Kuwait failing to qualify.

China midfielder Yu Hai said: “I must say we are a young team but we have more passion and more self-confidence. We will try our 100% against any opponents.”

“I wish our hard work can help Chinese football change and recover from the bad situation,” said the 23-year-old who has scored six goals in 20 matches since his international debut in mid-2009.

  

More rearguard troubles as Japan get ready for opener

DOHA: Japan’s depleted rearguard has taken a further knock as new Cologne signing Tomoaki Makino and uncapped Gotoku Sakai became doubtful for the Blue Samurai’s Asian Cup opener against Jordan tomorrow.

Makino, a former Sanfrecce Hiro­shima defender who sealed a 30-month deal with the Bundesliga side on Monday, sprained both ankles in training and was seen limping off the pitch on Thursday.

“I guess it’s alright,” the 23-year-old told reporters. “We have many days ahead. You know this is the beginning of a ‘Makino Story’.”

Makino, who can play anywhere at the back, is an option for Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni to make up for the injury-hit absence of tested World Cup centrebacks Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Yuji Nakazawa.

Sakai, a 19-year-old Albirex Nii­gata fullback, skipped Thursday’s training with lower back pain.

Daiki Iwamasa, a Kashima Antlers centreback who warmed the World Cup bench in South Africa where Japan reached the last 16, was recovering from a two-week-old injury in the sole of his right foot.

“I am still working on a separate menu. I want to join the guys but it may be difficult for the opening game,” the 28-year-old said.

Iwamasa strained the foot in Kashima’s quarter-final win over J-League champions Nagoya Grampus in the Emperor’s Cup on Dec 25. His club went on to win the coveted Cup on New Year’s Day by beating Shimizu S-Pulse.

Japan, aiming for a record fourth Asian Cup title, are grouped with Saudi Arabia, who beat them in the 2007 semi-finals, Jordan and Syria.