INT Global Football

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Fifa president Sepp Blatter has criticised Major League Soccer over its failure to attract fans in the United States.

Speaking to Al Jazeera TV, the controversial Swiss claimed that despite the league being formed almost 20 years ago, it is yet to make a significant impact on American sports fanatics.

 

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ATM FA head coach B. Sathianathan has promised that his men will be fighting their socks off to win the Charity Shield match on Saturday.

The Charity Shield has often been regarded as a minnow among the other trophies but Sathianthan insisted that ATM will be doing everything within their power to lift the trophy and kick start a bright new season.

 

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Fakri Saarani is currently embarking on a dream journey in Portugal, having concluded his move to Third Division side Atletico SC.

The former Harimau Muda forward will become the second Malaysian player to feature in Portugal after Nazmi Faiz and his personal agent Faisal Zakariah claimed that Fakri is determined to succeed over there.

 

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England : Championship New Year Result

Watford 3 - 4 Charlton Athletic

Birmingham C. 0 - 1 Cardiff C.

Blackburn R. 3 - 0 Nottingham F.

Blackpool 0 - 0 Hull C.

Crystal Palace 3 - 1 Wolverhampton W.

Derby County 3 - 1 Middlesbrough

Ipswich T. 0 - 3 Brighton & Hove A.

Leeds U. 1 - 0 Bolton W.

Leicester C. 6 - 1 Huddersfield T.

Millwall 2 - 1 Bristol C.

Peterborough U. 2 - 1 Barnsley

Sheffield W. 0 - 2 Burnley

 

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England : League One New Year Result

Swindon T. 5 - 0 Portsmouth

Brentford 0 - 0 Bournemouth

Bury 0 - 1 Tranmere R.

Coventry C. 0 - 1 Shrewsbury T.

Crawley 3 - 0 Colchester U.

Crewe Alexandra 1 - 0 Carlisle U.

Doncaster R. 2 - 2 Sheffield U.

Hartlepool U. 0 - 1 Preston North End

Notts County 1 - 2 Milton Keynes Dons

Scunthorpe U. 2 - 2 Oldham Athletic

Walsall 1 - 0 Stevenage

Yeovil 3 - 0 Leyton Orient

 

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England : League Two New Year Result

Bristol R. 2 - 1 Plymouth Argyle

Southend U. 0 - 1 Gillingham

Accrington 1 - 0 Chesterfield

Barnet 0 - 1 Aldershot T.

Morecambe 0 - 0 Bradford C.

Northampton T. 3 - 1 Dagenham & R'bridge

Oxford U. 1 - 0 Cheltenham

Port Vale 0 - 2 Fleetwood

Rochdale 1 - 2 Rotherham U.

Torquay U. 2 - 3 AFC Wimbledon

Wycombe W. 0 - 1 Exeter C.

York C. 3 - 0 Burton

 

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Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque wants Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta to win the 2012 Fifa Ballon d'Or.

The Spaniard played a major role as la Roja swept all before them to win Euro 2012, and has also earned plaudits for his continued good performances with the Blaugrana.

And although many have suggested that the three-man race for the individual award will be dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the 62-year trainer believes Iniesta has a good chance of coming out on top.

 

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Vitesse coach Fred Rutten has admitted he dreams of coaching a national team at some point in his career.

The former PSV boss took charge of the Arnhem side at the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and has guided them to fifth place in the Eredivisie table halfway through the season.

 

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Kelantan FA will be heading into the Charity Shield match this Sunday in a confident mood but perhaps there are one or two doubts about their defensive sector. The Red Warriors were recently outclassed by Sime Darby FC in a friendly match, in which they conceded four goals.

Concerns over their defensive stability has surfaced in recent days, especially with key player S. Subramaniam set to miss the whole Super League season while he recovers from a knee injury.

Nonetheless, Daudsu Jamaluddin admitted that Subra's absence in certainly a big blow, but was quick to insist that the Red Warriors should be able to cope without him.

 

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Johan Cruyff has retired from football management as planned following Catalunya's 1-1 draw with Nigeria at Espanyol's Estadi Cornella El Prat on Wednesday evening.

Sergio Gonzalez netted a seventh-minute penalty but an excellent breakaway goal from US-based Bright Dike denied the 65-year-old from overseeing a victory in his farewell game.

Cristian Tello squandered a last-minute chance for a Catalan side, who featured the likes of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Bojan.

Cruyff is a legend in the north east region of Spain, particularly synonymous with Espanyol's local rivals Barcelona, the side he famously led to their first European Cup in 1992.

In an eight-year spell in the Camp Nou dugout, the former playmaker also led Barcelona to four consecutive liga titles between 1991 and 1994.

Cruyff also collected silverware in a three-year stint as coach of Ajax between 1985 and 1988.

The star of Netherlands' run to the 1974 World Cup final also enjoyed a decorated playing career with both Barcelona and Ajax, winning the Ballon d'Or three times.