Soccer Digest, October 26, 2012
Anzhi Makhachkala's Europa League bonuses at risk over William transfer
Big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala have failed to pay a €1.6-million (HK$16 million) transfer debt to a player agency despite being ordered to by three different courts in Switzerland. The Onsoccer agency from Portugal, which is owed the money, is seeking to have Anzhi's Uefa bonuses from the Europa League seized under a civil court order. Anzhi's conduct in signing Brazilian forward William Arthur Conceicao dos Santos in April 2010 was "unethical and unlawful", Onsoccer director Antonio Araujo said. "Onsoccer is used to doing business with many clubs, both rich and less well-off, and has never before experienced such a nightmare as with Anzhi." AP
Concacaf sides to join Copa America 2016 centenary tournament in US
South American governing body Conmebol will hold a special Copa America tournament in the United States in 2016 to commemorate the organisation's 100th year. The tournament will include the 10 South American confederation teams, plus the US, Mexico and four others from the Concacaf region, which comprises North and Central America and the Caribbean. The event will take place between the 2015 and 2019 Copa America tournaments. Conmebol said the event will be played in July, but offered few other details. It is the first time the event will be played outside South America and could be a huge financial success, showcasing Brazil and Argentina to North American fans. AP
Malaysia's Terengganu look to Robbie Fowler as potential player-manager
A Malaysian club is working to bring inLiverpool legend Robbie Fowler as player-manager, a report said yesterday. T-Team, based in the eastern state of Terengganu, said it is in talks with the 37-year-old former England forward to ply his trade in the Malaysian professional league next year, according to The Star newspaper. "We are negotiating with him as we want to assess his fitness level," Ahmad Said, chief minister of Terengganu, which funds the club side, was quoted as saying. He said Fowler, who netted 183 goals for Liverpool, would undergo trials to "make sure he is suited for the role of striker". AFP
Paris Saint-Germain keep Porto in sight with Champions League win
French table-toppers Paris Saint-Germain extended Dinamo Zagreb's miserable European run with a comfortable 2-0 win in group A, but coach Carlo Ancelotti insists there is plenty of work still to do to reach the knockout stage. Goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jeremy Menez propelled PSG past their Croatian opponents, as they made it two wins from three to stay within reach of group leaders Porto. "Our position in the group is good. There are three matches left but at the Parc [des Princes] we will have the possibility to get to nine points, which would be very good before playing Kiev and Porto. That would give us a very good possibility [of advancing]," said Ancelotti. AFP