John Terry should stand down as England captain, says MP

John Terry should stand down as England captain, says MP
1 February 2012

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John Terry should step aside as captain of England until after his trial, an influential MP has claimed. Chelsea defender Terry denies allegedly racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League game in October.His trial will start on 9 July, after the end of the European Championship.

Damian Collins, who is on the culture, media and sport select committee, tweeted: "John Terry should stand aside as captain until the case is resolved, and any doubt either way removed." Piara Powar, executive director of European football's anti-discrimination body Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), also suggested that Terry should not captain the England team at Euro 2012, which starts on 8 June and takes place in Poland and Ukraine."Innocent until proven guilty," tweeted Powar. "But should John Terry remain as England capt through the Euros? I can't see how he can."He added: "The seriousness of the allegations mean that he can't lead the nation. So the FA [Football Association] must do the right thing." The trial date was set after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Terry, 31, is accused of a racially-aggravated public order offence, which carries a maximum fine of £2,500.Immediately after Wednesday's hearing Terry issued a statement through his solicitors Grosvenor Law....

Bolton vs Arsenal Preview

Bolton vs Arsenal Preview
Wednesday February 1 2012,

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Arsenal comes into this match on the back of a comeback victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Bolton has won three games on the trot in all competitions.

Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s substitution caused a huge uproar amongst Arsenal fans as Arsenal went down, 1-2, to Manchester United last week. One can only imagine the anger amongst the fans as Arsenal conceded two goals to Aston Villa prior to half-time in the FA Cup.The players and Arsene Wenger knew that they had to come back, at-least for the fans and level the tie. They struck three times in the second half via a pair of Robin Van Persie penalties and a Theo Walcott goal to win the game and qualify for the next round.

Valencia vs Barcelona Preview

Valencia vs Barcelona Preview
By Wednesday February 1 2012,

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The Copa del Rey semis kick off on Wednesday night for Valencia, as they welcome FC Barcelona at the Mestalla in the first leg of their fixture.Barcelona narrowly edged past Real Madrid in the quarter finals, using their 2-1 away victory to knock out their rivals 4-3 on aggregate. Conversely, Valencia enjoyed an easy qualification into the semis with a whopping 7-1 aggregate win over Levante.

Coincidentally, neither Los Che nor Los Cules were able to grab triumphs at the weekend in La Liga. Valencia shared a point away to Racing Santander following a 2-2 draw, while Barca were restricted to a goalless draw against Villarreal.Both sides sit comfortably in the Top 3 of La Liga, but their additional work in the Primera Division will have to be put on hold for the meantime. There seems to be some injury problems for Valencia coach Unai Emery, with Mehmet Topal and Ever Banega not likely to perform.

Copa Libertadores Report: Jan 31

Copa Libertadores Report: Jan 31
By Gregory Sica, January 31 2012,

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Paraguay's Libertad and Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina cruise into the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores after winning their respective preliminary play-offs.

Libertad of Paraguay and Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina progressed to the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores, after defeating El Nacional of Ecuador and Sport Huancayo of Peru, respectively, on Tuesday.Having lost 1-0 to El Nacional in Quito last week, Jorge Burruchaga's Libertad completely turned around the tie by thrashing The Ecuadorians 4-1 in a extremely one-sided affair in Asuncion, to qualify for the second round of the competition for the tenth successive year and their 13th time in total.Meanwhile, Gustavo Alfaro's Arsenal advanced to the group stage of the competition for only the second time in their history despite a 1-1 draw with hosts Sport Huancayo. The Argentines struggled to adapt themselves to the 3,200-metre altitude, but nevertheless made their 3-0 win from the first leg count.

Why Barcelona should fear potential 2012 Copa del Rey finalists Valencia

Why Barcelona should fear potential 2012 Copa del Rey finalists Valencia
By Angela Asante, February 1 2012,

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Valencia possess the power to punish inconsistent Barcelona in the semis of the 2011/12 Copa del Rey. Will Los Che satisfy the fuming fans of quarter-final victims Real Madrid?One of the major problems at Barca presently is that Pep Guardiola is facing severe squad setbacks. As if it wasn’t enough to lose David Villa to a long-term injury, the manager will have to deal with the absence of Pedro Rodgriguez, Andreu Fontas, Ibrahim Affelay and key man Andres Iniesta.

As Barcelona’s injury list grows, it looks like their chances of ending the year successfully on the domestic front are decreasing. For now, let’s not talk about the Catalans’ situation in La Liga where they've lost 13 points in 10 matches away from home. In the Copa del Rey, Barcelona could find immense comfort; that is, if Valencia don’t put an end to their hunt.“We are not getting the balance of last year,” Dani Alves admitted following his side’s disappointing goalless draw away to Villarreal last weekend. One of the many questions is whether Barca can overcome the away ground factor and punish Valencia for their poor passing game.The 2011 Copa del Rey runners-up will be facing a confident Valencia team. Los Che claim to have the psychological advantage over Barcelona as Unai Emery insisted after his team’s 7-1 aggregate demolition of Levante in the quarter-finals:“Yes, it will be hard. But we can do it. We will try. In terms of motivation, yes, we will be favorites.”Valencia have suffered under the Catalans’ rope at several occasions during the past years, but this season’s Copa del Rey semi-final tie could produce something different.....