Football Dispatch

Summer Football
27 June 2007
Sven-Goran Eriksson has agreed a 2-year contract at Manchester City. The former England manager replaces the axed Stuart Pearce at Eastlands and signals the beginning of new majority owner Thaksin Shinawatra's free-spending era at the club. Eriksson will be paid a base salary of 2M-pounds per-year until 2009. Despite the fact that he has yet to be formally unveiled, the 59-year-old Swede has met with chief executive Alistair Mackintosh each day this week to mull possible changes to the club's business structure. Prior to a 5-year spell in charge of England, Eriksson bossed Lazio to the Italian league and cup double in 2000 and won two additional Copa Italia championships with Sampdoria in 1994 and AS Roma in 1986. In two stints at Benfica, he raised three Portuguese Liga titles. And while at IFK Gothenburg in Sweden between 1979 and 1982, he won two Swedish Cups, two league titles, and the 1982 UEFA Cup.

Eriksson's first piece of business will be enticing Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Eastlands. The 25-year-old Chelsea winger has been a bust at Stamford Bridge -- his 2-goals from 54-appearances a poor return on London club's 21M-pound investment. Still, Eriksson capped the Greenwich-born winger 12-times while in charge of England and is of the belief that a return to Manchester City would put a spark in the player's stalled career. He will make an initial bid of 10M-pounds for Wright-Phillips and offer a wage of 60,000-pounds per-week. Both Marlon Harewood and Kevin Nolan have been linked to City, as well. Eriksson's rumored interest in the Bolton Wanderers captain is particularly interesting -- as the 29-year-old was repeatedly passed-over while Eriksson managed England.

Chris Coleman is set to be unveiled as manager of Real Sociedad. The San Sebastian are reeling after having been relegated from La Liga, last season, and are hopeful that another Welshman can reverse their fortunes. John Toshack, the current Wales boss, managed Sociedad to the Copa del Rey in 1987. He recommended Coleman for the vacant managerial position at the basque club after the latter was axed from Fulham this spring. Coleman, 37, spend four seasons at Craven Cottage.

Barcelona have released Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The 32-year-old Dutchman will join his former club, Feyenoord, for the upcoming season. Although he was contracted to the Catalan giants through 2008, he succeeded in orchestrating a move back to Holland by taking advantage in an escape-clause within his contract. The clause stipulated that he could be released from the Nou Camp in the event that Feyenoord came calling. Van Bronckhorst arrived in Barcelona via Arsenal in 2003.

Peru stunned Uruguay in the opening fixture of the 2007 Copa America, yesterday. Juan Carlos Marino and Jose Paolo Guerrero added to Peru's 1-0 lead with goals in the final 20-minutes -- putting the match out of reach for the heavily-favored Uruguayans. Miguel Angel Villalta had opened the scoring just prior to the half-hour. A short corner-kick was crossed superby by Jefferson Farfan onto the head of Villalta for the first goal of the tournament at Venezuela's Estadio Metropolitano de Merida. Uruguay carried the play from that point on; although Marino's strike in the 70th-minute was well-deserved. The winger raced down the right-hand flank against the run of play before blasting a streaking shot from distance into the opposing goal. Uruguay had been favored to win Group-A; and the splitting of points between Venezuela and Bolivia will not serve to aid their cause.

Giancarlos Maldonado scored Venezuela's first goal of the competition to rapturous ovation at the Pueblo Nuevo stadium, yesterday. His opener was quickly canceled by Bolivia's Jaime Moreno, however -- a pattern which repeated itself throughout the contest. Just prior to the hour-mark, Ricardo David Paez put the host nation ahead once again. Paez, the son of manager Richard Paez, certainly left his mark on the match. Not only did he provide a lead which nearly won the game for Venezuela, but his creativity made Maldonado's opener. With time ticking from the referee's watch and the hosts nursing a 2-1 lead amid furious pressure, Juan Carlos Arce equalized for Bolivia with 6-minutes of normal time remaining. And although Bolivia pelted Venezuelan goalkeeper Renny Vicente Vega in search of a win, they were rather lucky to escape with a single point. In the dying moments of 2nd-half added-time, a questionable foul by defender Gualberto Mojica was met with houls for a penalty from the crowd and Venezuela bench. The cries fell on deaf ears, however -- as Ecuadorian official Mauricio Reineso allowed the match to end in a controversial draw.

Both of today's matches will be played at Estadio Cachamay. In Group-B action, Ecuador will face Chile and Brazil will duel Mexico.