Death threats sent to Chelsea manager

Anti-Semitic death threats have been sent to Chelsea boss Avram Grant in a package containing a mysterious powder, British police said Wednesday.
The club's training ground at Cobham, south of London, was sealed off after a member of staff opened the package on Tuesday. A note addressed to Grant claimed the powder was lethal.
Britain's domestic Press Association news agency quoted an unnamed police source as confirming that the note to the 52-year-old Israeli coach included the words: "You are a back-stabbing Jewish bastard.
"When you open this letter you will die a very slow and painful death."
Death threats of a sexual nature were also made to Grant's wife, Tzofit, a well-known television personality in the couple's native Israel, the agency added.
A Surrey Police spokesman said: "We were called to Chelsea's training ground at Cobham at 12:15 pm yesterday (Tuesday) after they received a suspicious package.
"A white powder contained within the package was analysed by specialists from Surrey Fire Service and was determined to be a harmless substance.
"Detectives are continuing investigations to identify the source of the package."
Chelsea also confirmed the details in a statement, saying they had followed a "required procedure for dealing with such matters".
Grant and Chelsea were not at the training ground on Tuesday as they had travelled to Athens for a Champions League match with Olympiakos. The match finished 0-0._____________________________________________________________________

American soccer's missed opportunity
Juergen Klinsmann's decision to accept the head coaching role at Bayern Munich means many things to many people.

For Bayern, Germany's most famous club and a long-standing European powerhouse, it is a signal of intent that recent dips in performance and achievement will no longer be tolerated.

For Klinsmann, it is an opportunity to prove he is a capable club leader, since his only previous big-job experience came during his stint in charge of the German national team.

For newspaper scribes, mainly in the United Kingdom, it is the end of a tumultuous few months on the managerial merry-go-round which saw Klinsmann linked with several major positions, including the Liverpool, Chelsea and England jobs.

And for soccer in the United States? It is an opportunity lost.

Klinsmann has never hidden his love of North America, in particular the golden coastline of Orange County in Southern California, where he made his home at the end of his glittering playing career.

Obviously, enjoying a region's lifestyle is not an automatic precursor to being willing to take on the first employment option that arises there. But even though Klinsmann never came out and publicly stated he was interested in any position in American soccer, there was always the sense that he could have been persuaded if the job was right, if the time was right - and if someone wanted him badly enough.

Even in late September 2007, he was quoted as saying, "I'm eager to get back in. If the right opportunity comes along, a chance to work together with the right people in the right situation and for the right cause, then I'll be back."

Now there is no doubt that American soccer is a "cause," perhaps the biggest in the sport, because of the huge untapped potential in the United States. Unfortunately for U.S., it won't have Klinsmann around as a possible resource.

Sure, Klinsmann has no pedigree of any kind in running a club, particularly one with the history and prestige of Bayern. However, he has charisma, worldwide respect and an undeniable presence.

It is hard to shake away the sense that all he would have needed to have some kind of positive impact was a bit of time and a free reign, within reason.

There are so many ways in which Klinsmann could have been of assistance. Imagine him passing on advice to talented youngsters like Jozy Altidore. Or even acting as an ambassador to improve the worldwide reputation of American soccer.

Perhaps there were fears that national team coach Bob Bradley would feel undermined if Klinsmann occupied a senior hands-on role. However, while the current coach is a proud man, he has the interests of soccer in the U.S. at heart and he would surely have embraced rather than resisted the German's input provided it did not conflict with his ability to perform his job effectively.

Some will question why Klinsmann could have been such a positive influence. Some even suggest that leading Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup was actually a failure.

Such ignorant nonsense fails to take into account the state of the German national team prior to that tournament, when there were genuine fears that the host nation would suffer an embarrassing collapse after having shown little to inspire hope the previous two years.

Yet Klinsmann came surging in, galvanizing the entire country and rallying it around his players - and making his charges believe in themselves, to spectacular effect.

He conjured typical German steeliness from a group of players derided as weak and incapable of matching their all-powerful forefathers. What is more, he added a dash of flair and impudence, which produced a previously unthinkable effect - Germany was suddenly a favorite of the neutral fan.

In the end, a semifinal defeat to Italy ended the World Cup dream, but pride had been well and truly restored. Now, Germany is getting its man back in the summer, when Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld stands down.

It is not really anyone's fault that Klinsmann didn't end up in a big position in the States, and there is no one who deserves to be yelled at or who can be justifiably berated. It just didn't happen. It is American soccer's loss, and that's unfortunate.

Martin Rogers is a soccer writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Martin a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

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Foreign ownership of Premier League clubs

English Premier League strugglers Derby County named U.S.-based General Sports and Entertainment (GSE) as their new owners on Monday.

The club said the investment was in the form of cash, and not debt, and that the financial future of the club was underpinned.

Here are some other Premier League clubs who now have foreign owners.

* ASTON VILLA - American billionaire Randy Lerner completed his takeover of Aston Villa last September for 62.6 million pounds ($122.5 million) after securing the required 90 percent of the Birmingham club's shares.

- The Cleveland Browns owner installed himself as chairman of Villa, taking the place of Doug Ellis who stepped down after 38 years at the Midlands side.

* CHELSEA - In July 2003 Russian businessman Roman Abramovich agreed to buy the company that owned Chelsea in a deal which valued it at nearly 60 million pounds ($99.50 million).

- Under the cash offer, Abramovich, through his English offer vehicle Chelsea Ltd, agreed to purchase 84.9 million Chelsea Village shares at 35 pence each, just over half of its entire issued share capital.

- Abramovich has spent millions on the club since 2003 and has been rewarded with Chelsea winning successive Premier League titles and domestic cups.

* FULHAM - In 1997 Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, owner of top London department store Harrods, invested 30 million pounds ($49 million) in Fulham and took over as chairman after agreeing to acquire a controlling stake.

- With his financial backing Fulham repurchased the freehold to their Craven Cottage stadium on the banks of the river Thames in west London for an estimated 7.5 million pounds, while on the pitch they were promoted to the top-flight in 2001.

* LIVERPOOL - The 2005 European champions, seeking an injection of cash for two years to help challenge for top honours and fund a new stadium, agreed in 2006 to be taken over by U.S. sports tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks for 174 million pounds ($340 million).

- The 18-times English league champions had been in talks with Dubai International Capital (DIC), but DIC dropped its bid plans when Liverpool asked for more time to consider a rival offer from Gillett.

* MANCHESTER UNITED - In August 2005, supporters were unhappy with the American tycoon, Malcolm Glazer's 790 million pounds ($1.41 billion) takeover and used the first home game where his sons Joel, Avi and Bryan, all board members, were in attendance, to make their voices heard.

- U.S. financier Malcolm Glazer said he had raised his stake in Manchester United to over 75 percent, finally gaining full control in May 2005 of the club he had battled to acquire for more than two years.

* PORTSMOUTH - Alexandre Gaydamak acquired full control of Portsmouth in July 2006 after he bought the remaining stake from chairman Milan Mandaric.

- Media reports suggested that Mandaric had sold his remaining shares to Gaydamak, a Russian-born French national, for about 32 million pounds ($58.46 million).

- Gaydamak's initial investment for a 50 percent stake in the club had been reported at 15 million pounds.

- Mandaric injected new life into Portsmouth after taking over the club in 1998, winning promotion from the second division in 2003. He has stayed on as a non-executive chairman.

* WEST HAM - In November 2006 West Ham United agreed an 85 million pounds ($161.3 million) takeover from a consortium led by Iceland Football Association president and UEFA member Eggert Magnusson.

- Magnusson replaced Terry Brown as West Ham chairman and shortly after sacked coach Alan Pardew, replacing him with Alan Curbishley. (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; editing by Trevor Huggins)

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Germany's Borowski to join Bayern Munich from Werder
Germany international Tim Borowski will join Bayern Munich when his contract with Werder Bremen expires at the end of the season.

Werder said in a statement on Sunday that midfielder Borowski had rejected the offer of a new contract and would instead move to rivals Bayern, where he will be reunited with his former national team coach Juergen Klinsmann.
"It's a shame," coach Thomas Schaaf said. "We would have happily carried on working with Tim."
Borowski, 27, was part of the Germany squad that Klinsmann led to third place at the World Cup on home soil in 2006.
Bayern announced on Friday that Klinsmann would return to the Bundesliga to take over as their coach as of July 1. (Writing by Kevin Fylan, Editing by Clare Fallon)
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Iran appoints Artur Jorge as manager of national soccer team

Portuguese coach Artur Jorge was named manager of Iran's national soccer team, the fourth top team he has led.
The announcement was made Thursday on the State Broadcasting Company's Web site. The transitional committee of The Iranian Football Federation appointed the 61-year old Jorge coach on Wednesday ahead of the February qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. The committee is making the decisions until the federation formally elects a head.
Jorge previously coached for the Portuguese, Cameroon and Swiss national teams.
Iran should compete in Group 5 of the World Cup 2010 Qualifiers with Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Syria.

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Mixed response to new microchip ball

A revolutionary football embedded with a microchip drew a mixed response after being tested at the Club World Cup.
Players and coaches were divided over the quality the ball, designed to put an end to goal-scoring disputes by alerting the referee when it has crossed the line.
AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said his players were generally pleased with the ball, although midfielder Clarence Seedorf said it was harder to control.
"For various technical reasons we still have to get used to certain trajectories, but generally we are able to kick it well," said the Dutch veteran.
"This new ball is a little difficult to control, but when you hit it well it's even more difficult for the keeper to grab it."
Boca Juniors coach Miguel Angel Russo said one of his defenders, Hugo Ibarra, was not impressed.
"Ibarra said that as he is not used to it, its trajectory changes," Russo said.
"If you use a new ball in such an important tournament, players have to put in a lot of effort to get used to it."
The technology was first tested at the 2005 Under-17 World Cup and may be used at the next World Cup in 2010.
The system uses a magnetic field to provide real-time feedback to a central computer, which tracks the exact location of the ball on the field and sends the data to the referee.
"It's good. We did not notice any different particulars with regards to other Adidas balls," said Ancelotti, whose team beat Boca 4-2 in the final.
"It is has a good consistency and the trajectories are respected."
World governing body FIFA did not offer any immediate assessment but said the test findings would be reviewed by an international board in March.
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Philadelphia is set to become 16th franchise this week, begin play in 2010.
By Robert Wagman
SoccerTimes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Monday, February 25, 2008) -- Philadelphia will become Major League Soccer's 16th franchise with the official announcement now tentatively set for Thursday. The way was cleared for the new team to begin MLS competition in 2010 when the Pennsylvania state legislature agreed to $47 million in state funding towards a proposed $115-million stadium in suburban Chester, Pa.
The Chester development, which will include a 20-000-seat soccer-specific stadium,.will be located next to the Commodore Barry Bridge, about 13 miles from downtown Philadelphia and easily accessible from the entire metropolitan area. In addition to a minimum of $80 million from team owners, the funding will include the state's $47 million and an additional $30 million from a partnership between the city of Chester and Delaware County.
The new franchise will be awarded to an ownership group headed by New Yorker Jay Sugarman, chief executive officer of iStar Financial. Others in the group include the owners of the Wilmington, Del.-based Buccini\Pollin Group and James Nevels, founder of the Swarthmore Group and chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission.
The award, however, does little to bring clarity to the overall expansion situation in MLS with as many as eight cities still vying for what is likely to be the final two expansion franchises. The league will have 14 teams competing in 2008 with the second coming of the San Jose Earthquakes. The original Earthquakes, who were first named the Clash as a charter MLS member in 1996, moved to Houston and became the Dynamo in 2005..
Seattle will join the league next season.
Philadelphia appeared to be in head-to-head competition with St. Louis for the next new franchise and won because of the size of the Philadelphia television market and the strength (read wealth) of its ownership group. That would seem to make St. Louis the odds-on favorite for one of the two remaining expansion franchises, but maybe not.
St. Louis lawyer Jeff Cooper and a local group have formed St. Louis Soccer United, and convinced the Illinois suburban city of Collinsville to build a soccer stadium as part of a new development there. The Collinsville City Council has approved a tax-supported district in Eastport, where St. Louis Soccer United is proposing a $572 million, 400-acre soccer stadium and retail-residential complex. This would include a $30-35 million bond issue from the city to be repaid with revenue from sales taxes, concessions, parking fees, amusement, plus business and hotel-motel taxes. The residential development would have about 1,600 homes ranging from lofts and condos to single-family houses.
"We'd expect to be a part of that league (and) be the 17th team," Cooper told local media after it became clear that Philadelphia was going to become MLS's 16th club. "We expect that to happen sooner than later."
St. Louis, with its long soccer tradition, has always been a target for MLS and with a soccer stadium approved, it seems ready to acquire a team. Cooper's problem, however, has been putting together an ownership group that is satisfactory to the league. Cooper has told local media that he is in advanced negotiations with one or more additional investors that will make his group acceptable to MLS.
Even with an acceptable ownership group and being traditionally one of the hotbeds of soccer in this country, St. Louis might end up facing some tough competition.
The league clearly wants a team, as it puts it, "south of D.C," which means either in Atlanta or South Florida. That, in turn, given the league's previous failures in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, means Miami. (MLS previously had the Miami Fusion from 1998-2001, but the team played in Fort Lauderdale.)
The city of Miami and Miami-Dade County Commission have agreed on financing for a 37,000-seat, retractable roof stadium for Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins on the site of the historic Orange Bowl, which is being torn down. Under the plan, Miami-Dade County will spend $347 million and the Marlins will contribute $155 million to a stadium scheduled to open in 2011.
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz says the Orange Bowl footprint has enough room to build a companion soccer stadium and if MLS will commit to a team there, he thinks he can make it happen. Further rumors coming out of Miami indicate that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria would not be averse to becoming part of an MLS ownership group.
Meanwhile, word from the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is that The Home Depot billionaire wants to bring an MLS expansion team to Atlanta. He is said to understand the need to build a soccer-specific stadium and he told the Atlanta Constitution: "We're out looking at stadium sites right now in a variety of places."
While construction is underway, a team could perhaps play at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium. The state-owned Georgia Dome, where the Falcons play, would not be suitable.
Other cities are potentially high on MLS' wish list. There is a new baseball stadium -- Citi Field -- being built for the New York Mets in Flushing, Queens, next to the current Shea Stadium, set to open in 2009. When Shea is razed, there would be plenty of room to build an adjoining soccer stadium to house an expansion team that would form a rivalry for the New York Red Bulls, whose new stadium in Harrison, N.J., will be ready in 2009 or 2010. The idea of a second team in New York, forming a rivalry like the Galaxy and Chivas USA have in Los Angeles, is exciting to many in MLS's hierarchy.
With Toronto FC having an extremely successful debut season in 2007, there is pressure to add an additional Canadian franchise. Toronto would like it to be in Montreal where a new 18,000-seat soccer facility, Stade Saputo, will open in 82 days for the Montreal Impact, which plays in the second-division United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1). It is expandable and there is an ownership group interest in getting a team.
Just as Toronto would like to see a natural rival in Montreal, the new MLS team in Seattle would love to see a Canadian rival up the road in Vancouver. There, the USL-1's Vancouver Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot is trying to put together a deal to build a downtown soccer stadium on the waterfront, much like in Toronto.
There are other cities interested in MLS. Portland, Ore., would like to remodel its downtown baseball-soccer stadium for an MLS team. There is fan interest in San Diego. Milwaukee would love to become a rival for the Chicago Fire.
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South Africa to get 120,000 free tickets for World Cup 2010
Ticket prices for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will range from 20 to 900 dollars, while 120,000 seats will be given away for free, organisers announced on Saturday.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said that four categories of ticket prices would be in place for the 64 matches in the month-long tournament with prices in the cheapest category only available to South African residents.
Tickets in category four will be as low as 20 dollars for first round-matches and will rise to 150 dollars for the finals.
The most expensive tickets during the course of the tournament would be for the final in Johannesburg on July 11 where the four prices would be: 150, 400, 600 and 900 dollars.
Valcke said that 120,000 tickets would be distributed to South Africans, many of whom would find them well beyond their price range.
"We will give them to South Africans through our commercial partners," said Valcke. "We are working with the LOC (Local Organising Committee) to ensure that the delivery of these tickets will be done in the best possible way."
LOC chief executive Danny Jordaan said that the organisers would work on measures to ensure that the category four tickets are not simply sold on for profit by South Africans.
"We made it very clear that this World Cup has been embraced and supported by the poor and that is why we have created this," he said after a meeting of the organising committee in Durban on the eve of the draw for the qualifiers.
"If people sit there with England or Belgium shirts on, it would be obvious that something has gone wrong."
Organisers also announced three kick-off times. Matches will begin at either 1100 GMT, 1400 GMT or 1800 GMT, ensuring two thirds of the matches will be on during television prime time in most of Asia.)___________________________________________________________________________

FIFA satisfied with 2010 World Cup preparations

FIFA'S general secretary said on Tuesday he was satisfied with the progress of South Africa's preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Jerome Valcke said preparations for the preliminary draws in the costal town of Durban on Nov. 25 were 95 percent complete and construction at stadiums was on schedule.

"As of this day, I am not worried at all. I sleep very well," Valcke told journalists after a meeting of the board of directors of the World Cup organising committee.

"I am happy with the preparations for the preliminary draw, there are little details to be fixed but these are just details. We are keeping a watchful eye especially on the stadiums," he said.

Valcke said a technical team had been put in place to monitor construction work on the stadiums.

There had been worries that construction work would be delayed at the Cape Town stadium when workers went on strike to demand better travel benefits and disrupted work for a week last month.

Local Organising Committee (LOC) chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said contingency plans had been put in place to cope with power cuts, which have hit the country in the past week.

"As you know, alternative energy sources must be available in all stadiums. At this stage it is not an issue because we have made plans, it is not an issue we should lose sleep over," said Jordaan.

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Death threats sent to Chelsea manager

American soccer's missed opportunityJuergen Klinsmann's decision to accept the head coaching role at Bayern Munich means many things to many people.

Foreign ownership of Premier League clubs

Germany's Borowski to join Bayern Munich from WerderGermany international Tim Borowski will join Bayern Munich when his contract with Werder Bremen expires at the end of the season.

Iran appoints Artur Jorge as manager of national soccer team

Mixed response to new microchip ball

Philadelphia is set to become 16th franchise this week, begin play in 2010.

South Africa to get 120,000 free tickets for World Cup 2010Ticket prices for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will range from 20 to 900 dollars, while 120,000 seats will be given away for free, organisers announced on Saturday.

FIFA satisfied with 2010 World Cup preparations

American soccer's missed opportunity
Juergen Klinsmann's decision to accept the head coaching role at Bayern Munich means many things to many people.

Germany's Borowski to join Bayern Munich from Werder
Germany international Tim Borowski will join Bayern Munich when his contract with Werder Bremen expires at the end of the season.

South Africa to get 120,000 free tickets for World Cup 2010
Ticket prices for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will range from 20 to 900 dollars, while 120,000 seats will be given away for free, organisers announced on Saturday.