Football Dispatch

The Czech Republic squad trains ahead of their match with Switzerland on Saturday.

Weekend Football
06-08 June 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Tottenham Hotspur have made the biggest signing of the closed season thus far. The London side swooped for Barcelona playmaker Giovani Dos Santos, this week, and agreed terms on Thursday. The transaction was confirmed on Barcelona’s official website.

“FC Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur have come to an agreement for the transfer of Giovani Dos Santos to the English club,” read a statement.

The 19-year-old Mexico international signed for the Catalans in 2002 but fell out of favor with former manager Frank Rijkaard and was unpopular in the club’s highly-publicized sectarian dressing-room. The engine-room of Mexico’s Under-17 World Championship victory in 2005 scored three goals for Barcelona, last season, and was capped five times for his senior, national side.

Spurs will pay an initial fee of 4.7M-pounds for Dos Santos – an amount which could rise to 8.6M-pounds if certain criteria are met. And if the Premier League club decides to sell the player before 2010, Barcelona will be owed 20% of the transfer payment. They will be paid 10% if Dos Santos is sold at a later date.

Europass is the 14-panel football which will be used for all matches at EURO 2008. Unveiled at the December draw in Lucerne, it combines thermal bonding technology and a PSC-Texture surface. And it has been roundly criticized by a handful of elite goalkeepers.

“The new ball is really unpredictable,” said Peter Cech in conversation with Swiss magazine Rotwiss. The balls are so quick, they have scarcely any wind resistance and they can change direction any second, also in the last five metres,” he stated. “We will se lots of goals form 30-metres out.:

The Czech Republic international’s comments were echoed by his Croatian counterpart Stipe Pletikosa. “Those balls are going all over the place, changing direction all the time, especially if fired from a distance,” he said.

“They are not designing balls for goalkeepers,” confirmed Holland and Manchester United number-one Edwin Van der Sar.

A slight tear in his left thigh will keep Patrick Vieira from assuming his place alongside Claude Makalele in the French midfield when Les Bleus face Romania in their opening fixture of EURO 2008 on 09 June. And while the captain’s loss is sure to be felt among the squad, Makalele is convinced that his teammates can overcome the absence.

“Pat is an important player,” the Chelsea midfielder told reporters, Friday. “But we can live without him if we have to.” He continued, “We always play with the same system and two midfielders in front of the defense. I can adapt. Whether I play with Pat, Jeremy (Toulalan) or Lassana (Diarra) does not really make a difference to me.”

It’s a view that Fox Soccer Channel analyst Bobby McMahon shares. In fact, McMahon is of the mind that Vieira’s absence might even come as a boost for the French.

“It could be a big bonus for France,” he said. “Whether it’s Flamini or Toulalan that comes in, it will be an improvement.”

UEFA president Michel Platini unleashed his latest, scathing attack on English football, Friday, when he insisted that England’s absence at EURO 2008 would not be missed.

“What does England’s absence mean to me? Nothing,” he stated at his press conference. “They had only to qualify on the pitch. I do not wish to say that we miss England.”

The former Nancy, St. Etienne, and Juventus midfielder also expressed consternation regarding the ascendancy of big, English clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United.

“Look at the deficits of Chelsea and Manchester United,” he complained. “FIFA and UEFA are going to have to combat that because, today, it is the ones who cheat who win.” He continued, “It’s a race for money. The passion in England is exceptional and hooliganism has been fought; but, as for the rest, we are going to have to find something.”

Chelsea are hoping to install Luis Felipe Scolari as the club’s new manager. Gilmar Veloz, Scolari’s agent, met with Peter Kenyon, this week, and the two sides will continue negotiations after the EURO 2008 finals. Scolari, the current Portugal boss, has yet to make a public statement regarding his status and is not expected to do so until after the competition.

The Blues have struggled to find a replacement for Avram Grant. Each of Guud Hiddink, Mark Hughes, and Carlo Ancelotti rejected their advances and Frank Rijkaard is thought to have little interest in the position.

Roque Santa Cruz is attempting to orchestrate a move to Manchester United. The Blackburn Rovers and Paraguay striker had a break-out season at Ewood Park in 2007-08 – scoring 23-goals in 42-appearances for the Lancashire club. The total surpassed his tally from the past five seasons combined at Bayern Munich.

Just 26-years-old, the former Olimpia Asuncion forward has considerable upside and, when healthy and in form, is among the better goalscorers in Europe. United were linked with him at Christmastime; but Santa Cruz’s assertion that Sir Alex Ferguson has been sniffing around has not been confirmed by the Old Trafford brass.

“The interest from Manchester United is real,” insisted Santa Cruz. “But I’m so busy now so my representatives will handle anything if there is a concrete offer.”

Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

Jerrad Peters covers football for the Winnipeg Free Press, Soccer Three-Sixty magazine, ESPN Soccernet, and Soccer365.com. His work has also appeared on TheMirror.co.uk, Canadian-soccer.com, Footy247.co.uk, Foot2ball.com, and Squadinfo.com.

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