Ronaldo fed up with speculation over future

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo says he is angry at all the speculation over his future insisting on Wednesday that he wants to stay at Old Trafford.The Portugal international has scored 37 goals this season and that dazzling form has prompted links with some of United’s leading European rivals.

But the 23-year-old told The Sun newspaper that he wasn’t planning a move away from Manchester any time soon.

“I just don’t care what the whole world seems to want to say about me or speculate about my future.

“I’ve said it a thousand times and, by now, people should realise…I’m totally happy at United,” he told the tabloid.

“I’m in the form of my life and I’m having the season of my career so far so it makes me mad sometimes to read some of the things which are supposed to be related to my future.

“I get angry but I’m trying to accept it’s a waste of energy to be furious because it is not worth it.”

Chelsea in Russia

Chelsea, which is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, will play in a preseason tournament in Moscow this summer along with AC Milan, Sevilla and Lokomotiv Russia.Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said Wednesday the Blues would play in the Russian Railways Cup on Aug. 1-3.

Chelsea also is scheduled to tour Asia this summer, playing in Guangzhou, China, on July 23 and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 29.

England football manager warns team to commit

Fabio Capello made it clear Wednesday that England players would be putting their international careers in jeopardy unless they showed total commitment to their country.The Italian’s warning was issued ahead of England’s friendly double header against the United States at Wembley on May 28 and the visit to Trinidad and Tobago four days later.

His message was plain - he expects players to answer any call up they receive for these two games after a lengthy domestic season other than for a genuine reason.

Capello said: “By the time of the two games, some of the players will have been on holiday for a week already. Do I want to see commitment to England? If a player doesn’t love to play for England, then perhaps he should stay at home.

“Players must love the England shirt and wearing the England shirt. That is all there is to it.

“If someone doesn’t want to come and play for England, it means they don’t love the England shirt enough. Obviously they must prefer to go on holiday.”

The new England manager will continue his policy of rotating his captains in the two friendly internationals before making a final decision on who will lead the side by the time England face the Czech Republic at Wembley in August.

That means John Terry, skipper under former boss Steve McClaren, is by no means certain to retain the captaincy with Steven Gerrard wearing the armband when he was absent through injury against Switzerland and then Rio Ferdinand against France last month.

Poland coach worried by domestic graft scandals

Poland coach Leo Beenhakker said on Wednesday that he was deeply worried about the corruption scandal rocking the domestic football league and vowed to protect his team from a morale slump as they prepare for Euro 2008.”Everybody who’s part of Polish football will recognise of course that in general, it’s a very bad situation,” Beenhakker told reporters as he announced the names of the players he plans to take to Poland’s first ever European championships appearance, in Austria and Switzerland in June.

“It’s very bad for the image of Polish football. It’s a very weird and bad example for our young generation who have the ambition to play football, and it’s a very bad moment in relation to our participation in Euro 2008 and being hosts of Euro 2012,” he added.

“But it also has a direct influence on my responsibility to the national team, and on the future of Polish football and on my position.

“I feel it is my responsibility and duty to try to keep this out of the preparations of the national team, which will not be easy.

“If the results in Euro 2008 don’t correspond with the expectations we have, then I want to be sure that we lose on the pitch and not off the pitch,” said the Dutch veteran, who has been coaching around the world since the 1960s and was appointed as Poland’s coach in 2006.

Poland name provisional Euro 2008 squad

Poland coach Leo Beenhakker named the following provisional 31-man squad for Euro 2008:Goalkeepers: Artur Boruc (Celtic), Tomasz Kuszczak (Manchester United), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal), Wojciech Kowalewski (Korona Kielce)

Defenders: Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos), Grzegorz Bronowicki (Red Star Belgrade), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Adam Kokoszka (Wisla Krakow), Mariusz Jop (FK Moscow), Jacek Bak (Austria Vienna), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Arkadiusz Radomski (Austria Vienna), Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)

Midfielders: Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk), Dariusz Dudka (Wisla Krakow), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow), Jacek Krzynowek (VfL Wolfsburg), Michal Golinski (Zaglebie Lubin), Radoslaw Majewski (Groclin Grodzisk), Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)

Forwards: Euzebiusz Smolarek (Racing Santander), Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze), Maciej Zurawski (Larissa), Marek Saganowski (Southampton), Radoslaw Matusiak (Wisla Krakow), David Janczyk (CSKA Moscow), Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow), Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin), Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bielefeld)

 
  

All Rights Reserved - Copyright © 2006 - SoccerFanNews.com