Spanish striker Raul was torn off a strip by coach Luis Aragones when the country’s World Cup squad gathered to begin preparations for next month’s finals after arriving in a yellow surfer-style t-shirt, a colour his manager deems unlucky.
German football captain and new Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has been fined 60,000 euros (77,000 dollars) for failing to declare a handbag he bought in Dubai at airport customs.
Ballack bought the handbag, which is valued at about 2,000 euros, for his girlfriend in the shopper’s haven in January and it was found in his luggage at Munich airport.
Former Argentinean captain Zanetti has been dropped for the coming World Cup by Argentina’s coach Jose Pekerman. He played for Argentina during 98 and 2002 world cup’s and has been presenting almost all the 18 encounters during the qualifying round.
Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann says anything less than winning next month’s World Cup would be a failure in his eyes.
Hosts Germany are so confident that they have booked hotel rooms for the Berlin final on July 9 and Klinsmann says his target has not changed despite his team looking far from convincing.
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that English Premiership side Arsenal are holding talks over the transfer of their Czech international playmaker Tomas Rosicky.
“Arsenal are holding talkings and I think that we will reach a deal,” said Dortmund’s business manager Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Officials in Portugal are investigating Benfica duo Armando Petit and Nuno Gomes after they were seen in a television report taking what appeared to be counterfeit films to a World Cup training camp.
World Cup finalists South Korea were held to a 1-1 draw by Senegal, the gifted African side who failed to qualify for the finals starting next month in Germany.
Italy’s top scorer Luca Toni said he was not certain to stay at Fiorentina next season unless certain things were resolved at the club.
A possible annulling of Toni’s contract, which runs till June 30 2009, could allow Inter Milan the chance to snap up the 29-year-old who scored 31 goals last season.
As World Cup fever mounts around the world, Cannes critics got to see French player Zinedine Zidane as he’s never been seen before: in a ‘documentary’ portrait of the Real Madrid star which trained 17 cameras on him during a match.
Former Chelsea midfielder has been appointed as the new manager of Millwall, who were relegated from the Championship in the season just ended.
The 45-year-old, who also played for Liverpool and Rangers, had held managerial posts at Barnsley and Sheffield United but has most recently been working as a television pundit.
