Tuesday Football

17 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Pizarro facing 2-year ban

Claudio Pizarro is facing a two-year suspension for having allegedly acted as an agent in Werder Bremen's acquisition of Roberto Silva in 2001. Pizarro, who is fiercely denying the accusations, is said to have served as an intermediary between Silva and the Bundesliga side, perhaps skimming a portion of the transfer fee. Silva, now 32-years-old and playing for Universidad San Martin, moved to Bremen from Sporting Cristal eight years ago and made just six appearances in German football.

FIFA strictly prohibits players from acting as agents in club-to-club transactions and is prepared to ban Pizarro for 24-months if the 30-year-old Bremen striker is found guilty. For his part, the Peru international is dismissing the allegations as nothing more than jealousy from within the Peruvian football hierarchy.

"It is a load of rubbish," he told reporters on Monday. "The whole thing does not bother me at all." He continued, "Peru is a good, beautiful country, but unfortunately there are people there who are angry. They don't like it when somebody is successful, so they get jealous."

Pizarro has been at loggerheads with the Peruvian Football Federation since he was suspended from the national team in 2007. After having been seen entertaining women at his hotel room ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador in December 2007, he was banned from the squad for 18 months. The penalty was later reduced to three months and $10,000 in July 2008.

Juventus eye Nedved replacement

Less than two years after swapping Olympique Lyonnais for Chelsea, Florent Malouda is being tabbed as Pavel Nedved's successor at Juventus. Nedved, 36-years-old and in his eighth season in Turin, will retire at the end of the campaign, vacating his position on the left of midfield.

It might just be a good move for both sides. Malouda has failed to impress at Stamford Bridge, featuring on just two occasions since Guus Hiddink succeeded the deposed Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager of the London giants. His lack of production has been a major disappointment to the club. Upon his arrival in 2007, he was the reining Ligue 1 player of the year and had just helped Lyon to a sixth consecutive championship.

Nevertheless, Chelsea are prepared to take a 2.5 million pound hit on the 28-year-old. Having been acquired for 13.5 million pounds, the Blues will accept just 11 million for his signature.

Juventus, for their part, will get a player with a lot to prove. Malouda is a pacey winger, if not crafty, and makes timely, cutting runs into space. The Bianconeri are hopeful that a good run of matches in a new squad will reinvigorate the French international.

Keane plotting comeback

Roy Keane will begin applying for managerial vacancies in the summer. The former Sunderland boss has been out of work since quitting the Black Cats in December and is open to taking a job either in England or abroad.

Since leaving Wearside, Keane has been on a quest for coaching knowledge, observing the practices at both Benfica and the New Zealand rugby union squad. He is an outspoken admirer of Benfica manager Quique Sanchez Flores, remarking that the Portuguese boss oversees one of the top youth setups in Europe.

While in charge of Sunderland, Keane walked the touchline for 100 matches, winning 42. He also led the team to the 2007 Football League Championship title.

Miscellaneous

My evaluation of Liverpool's title chances appeared in the 17 March edition of the Winnipeg Sun.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/soccer/2009/03/17/8774351-sun.html

As you may have noticed, you can now follow my Twitter updates.

http://twitter.com/petersjerrad

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jerradpeters@gmail.com