INT Global Football

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LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane has ruled out a loan return to the Premier League, citing his need to recover from injury problems ahead of the new Major League Soccer season in March.

The striker spent January and February of the 2011-12 season on loan at Aston Villa, scoring three goals in seven appearances for the Premier League side during the MLS off-season.

However, the 32-year-old believes he should remain in the United States after an extended period of football, suggesting he needs a break to be in peak condition for Galaxy in light of reported interest from QPR.

 

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Stale Solbakken has been sacked as manager of Wolves, the club have confirmed.

The 44-year-old Norwegian guided Wolves to 18th in the Championship, securing just nine wins from 26 games, while the club suffered an FA Cup third-round exit at the hands of non-league Luton Town on Saturday after a 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road.

A statement issued from Wolves cited the side's poor form and elimination in the FA Cup as the main reason behind Solbakken's sacking.

Assistant manager Johan Lange and first-team coach Patrick Weiser have also been dismissed. The club's head of football development & recruitment, Kevin Thelwell, will take charge until a new manager is appointed.

Solbakken was named Wolves boss in May 2012 after the club suffered relegation from the Premier League, and officially took over from Terry Connor last summer.

 

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Juan Roman Riquelme has told Boca Juniors he will not be returning to the club, despite turning up for the first day of pre-season training.

The 34-year-old was rumoured to be contemplating a return to the Buenos Aires side after his old coach Carlos Bianchi was re-appointed.

The former Villarreal midfielder was present as the team met up for their first pre-season training session on Saturday, but only to confirm he will not go back on his decision to leave the Xeneizes.

 

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Wolverhampton Wanderers will open talks with Doncaster Rovers manager Dean Saunders after the sacking of Stale Solbakken following their FA Cup third round elimination.

The Norwegian was dismissed following Wolves' shock 1-0 defeat to non-league outfit Luton, and Rovers have released a statement concerning an approach from the Molineux outfit after their boss emerged as favourite for the post.

 

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Sepp Blatter says Kevin-Prince Boateng was wrong to walk off the pitch after receiving racist insults in a recent friendly.

The AC Milan midfielder opted to leave the field during the Rossoneri's friendly with Pro Patria this week, after a small section of the home fans directed racial abuse towards the Ghana international.

 

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Doncaster Rovers have confirmed Dean Saunders has been appointed as the new manager of Wolves.

The Championship outfit had earmarked Saunders as their preferred replacement for Stale Solbakken, who was sacked late on Saturday night following a poor run of form that has seen the club drop to 18th in the Championship table, before being knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Luton Town.

After a day of negotiations, Welshman Saunders, who has taken Doncaster to joint-top of League 1 following their relegation from the Championship last season, has accepted the opportunity to take charge at Molineux.

 

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Uefa have opened disciplinary proceedings against Tottenham and Lazio relating to incidents during the two side's Europa League clash in Rome last November.

Lazio fans appeared to have mocked the visitors’ tradition Jewish support with anti-Semitic chants during the match, while Tottenham’s supporters were reportedly involved in separate crowd disturbances in and around the ground.

 

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Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque has suggested that the side have reached their pinnacle as a power in the footballing world, and believes that remaining at that peak is key to future success.

The Roja boss guided the squad to the final of Euro 2012 last year, which they won 4-0 against Italy, and that triumph has seen him nominated for the Ballon d’Or on Monday night.

Spain have won the last three major tournaments they have taken part in now, and Del Bosque hopes that the nation can overcome their obstacles in the future to stay at the very top of the sport.

 

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Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has won the 2012 Fifa Coach of the Year award after leading his country to their third consecutive major trophy at Euro 2012.

The 62-year-old only just missed out on the prize in 2010 after guiding la Roja to World Cup glory, but this time emerged victorious after Spain hammered Italy 4-0 in the final of Euro 2012.

The eventual champions were held to a 1-1 draw by the Italians in the group stages, but went on to cruise to European glory without conceding in the remainder of the tournament as Republic of Ireland, Croatia, France and Portugal were eliminated on the way to the final.

Del Bosque now has two Champions Leagues, a World Cup and a European title in his trophy cabinet.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho missed out after winning the award in 2010 and coming third last year.

The 49-year-old helped Madrid to their first Liga title since 2008 as they collected 100 points from 38 games.

Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, had to settle for a top three spot as well after Barcelona captured the Copa del Rey.

 

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Fenerbahce winger Miroslav Stoch has pipped Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao and Santos star Neymar to the 2012 Fifa Puskas award.

The Slovakia international found space on the edge of the box in Fenerbahce's league match against Genclerbirligi on March 3, 2012 and superbly hooked a volley into the top corner of the net following a set piece.

He saw off competition from Falcao's stunning bicycle kick, which came in second place, and an individual effort from Neymar, which completed the top three.

Stoch's winning strike was one of two goals he netted in an impressive 6-1 home win.

The 23-year-old attacker follows in the footsteps of players such as Neymar, who won the award for 2011, Hamit Altintop, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who claimed the inaugural edition.

The versatile attacker has been under contract with the Turkish giants since 2010, and previously turned out for clubs such as Twente, Chelsea and Nitra.