Copa America draw’s repercussion

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• Spoke coaches and presidents of the Associations 
  By Eduardo Barraza 
  No sooner were defined groups of 12 candidates for the crown currently owned by Brazil and began to play the 2011 edition of the Copa America. From presidents to coaches associations, all spoke about the great ceremony of the draw and the chances of their teams in the tournament.
  Mano Menezes (Brazil’s Coach)
  It will be the first opportunity after the World Cup, that gives South America teams the chance to confirm that they are in ascension. So very difficult matches are predicted in this Copa America
  This distance decreased markedly. The South American teams got a better level of preparation, are composed by players with international experience and there are no teams that can be easily defeated
  Paraguay played a good World Cup, confirming the good time they had exhibited in the qualifiers. Venezuela has made great progress for some time and Ecuador, despite ups and downs has experienced players, including champions of the Libertadores, which gives a lot of personality and experience
  Sergio Batista (Argentina’s Coach)
  We will do everything possible to win the Copa America. For a while, Argentina is not winning important tournaments. So this is an important tournament for us, and Argentina has a squad to play and win.
  The first match is complicated and will be important to win. It is an extra pressure that we have to be hosts, but the pressure is going to get the rivals, also.
  Sergio Markarián (Peru’s Coach)
  It's a nice group. Even within the differences. It's a good chance to regain the prestige of Peruvian soccer. Argentina augurs a great Copa America. There will be great teams, great players and is played after the World Cup, it’s a very important competition.
  
  Reinaldo Rueda (Ecuador's Coach)
  It was a very nice event, very well planned. I think are in a very competitive group, very exigent. Brazil and Paraguay come from a good World Cup and Venezuela is growing every day. It will be important to strengthen the team in this tournament, considering that one month after, starts the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which is the ultimate objective.
  César Farías (Venezuela's Coach)
  It will be difficult for all groups, so no one can say that a group is easier than the other. South American football is very competitive and anyone can beat anyone. Venezuela continues with the same expectations which we came to the draw.
  
  José Manuel de la Torre (Mexico’s Coach)
  I see a balanced the group of Mexico in the Copa America 2011, with rivals which have a persistent rivalry.
  The others are in an equal level. In these instances any team you can lose if you do not pay attention. Anyone cannot trust anything.
  Mexico will send to the Copa America a selected category under 23 reinforced with five older players, according to the authorization that CONCACAF given it to play in the South American Confederation’s tournament.
  
  Sebastián Bauzá (Uruguayan Association’s President)
  I think the draw will show what level is the Copa America to be hosted in Argentina. It will be very good because it shows the top South American level. Uruguay should stop celebrating what it did in the World Cup to start  this tournament.
  With the rivals we know very much. Against Chile we will play next week, Mexico we faced in the World Cup and, with Peru, will have an Uruguayan rival coach, Sergio Markarian. Choose hosting is the key to not having to travel so much.
  Luis Bedoya (Colombian Federation’s President)
  The draw was good for Colombia. It's great to play against the host and the rest of the Group. The fixtures are also favorable.
  Gerardo Martino: Paraguay joins a “balanced group”
  The coach of the Paraguayan Team, the Argentine Gerardo Martino, said the Albirroja integrates a "balanced group" with the champions Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela in the Copa America in Argentina 2011.
  Martino told reporters after attending the draw for this competition in Argentina that Paraguay "come good" to the continental and have several friendlies to improve the team.
  The strategist said that the Group B, which his team belongs to, "is balanced", but said that "surely" Brazil will be the hardest opponent.
  Regarding the possible new squad for the tournament, said "there are some players that are coming and are doing well" but added about the squad rotation "is given for performance."

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Argentina face Portugal in London

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• BUENOS AIRES, December 9, 2010 (AFP) - Argentina will take on Portugal in a friendly at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London on February 9, the Argentine football federation has announced.
  Argentina have also lined up friendlies against the United States on March 26 in Seattle, and Costa Rica in San Jose on March 29.

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Julio H. Grondona said that the renovation work and implementation

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• CONMEBOL , December, 9, 2010 - The president of the Argentine Football Association, Julio H. Grondona said that the renovation work and implementation of the venues in the 8 host cities are ongoing in a positive maner, and stated that there is certainty of success in the competition, considering the remarkable support of national and provincial authorities to the Copa America.
  
  He also confirmed that on the occasion of the traditional competition there will be a FIFA-CONMEBOL medical conference to be held on June 30 at the Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel. A coaches’ conference was also confirmed. The same is scheduled for June 28 and 29.
  
  In another order, the president of the Football Federation of Chile, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, was emphatic in stressing that henceforth, CONMEBOL should consider further the invitations to other countries to participate in the Copa America. Being that the associations from Mexico and Japan would come to the big event with national teams that are not up to their full potential, which certainly does not correlate with the attitude of the South American Associations, which announced their top figures for the Cup. He also stressed that many countries want to participate in the Copa America as guests.

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Chilean Federation prepares a plan to keep Bielsa in the command of the team

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• (AFP) – Chilean Football’s leaders study to put in practice the plan to keep the post of the national team’s coach, the Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa. The coach agreed to continue in the command of Chile, as the president of the Chilean Football Federation, the Spanish Jorge Segovia, will not take the post.
  According to the local media, the plan includes a “consensus list”; besides appoint a person responsible for various functions, aiming ANFP elections, which should happen before January 15.
  The names being considered are Felipe Lamarca, businessman, and the ex-president of ANFP, Ricardo Albumohor, according to the statement of the journal El Comércio.
  The plan the keep with Bielsa in the command of the Chilean national team started when the coach had a conversation with the local Olympic Committee’s president, Nevec Ilic.
  “He (Bielsa) told me he needs guaranties. He wants to feel that the person who is above him supports his work”, told Ilic.
  “Bielsa told me he will wait until January 15 to see who will assume ANFP, hear his proposes and express the necessities”, he added.
  The Honor Tribunal of the Chilean Football didn’t agree to Segovia assume the ANFP presidency.  The leader won the elections, in November, but could not take the post because one of his companies had a contract with ANFP, which violates the rules of the corporation.
  Bielsa told before the election that he would not work with Segovia, conditioning his permanency in the post, if the journalist Harold Mayne-Nicholls, which contracted him, in August 2007, remained in command.
  Nayna-Nicholls reaffirmed, this Thursday, he will not dispute again the post for presidency of the Federation.
  Bielsa started his work as a coach of the National Chilean Team in 2007, when they reached the qualification for the 2010 World Cup.

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Brazil announce Netherlands friendly

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• RIO DE JANEIRO, December 8, 2010 (AFP) - Brazil will tackle their World Cup conquerors the Netherlands in a friendly match next June, Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira announced on Wednesday.
  The game on June 4 will take place in one of the 12 stadiums that will be used to host matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
  The CBF also confirmed friendly matches against France in Paris on February 9 and against Germany in Stuttgart on August 10.
  In July, Brazil will compete in the Copa America in Argentina, where they will be bidding to win their third consecutive continental crown.    Brazil and the Netherlands met in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in Port Elizabeth, South Africa last July, when Dunga's heavily fancied Brazil team were beaten 2-1.
  Dunga has since been replaced as coach by Mano Menezes, but Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk -- whose side were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the final -- remains in his role.

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Friendly advice

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• Elias says to Forlán to accept Corinthians' proposal
  (AFP) Brazilian midfielder Elias, who will move from Corinthians to Atletico Madrid, advised the scorer of the Spanish club, Diego Forlán, to prioritize his former club rather than rival team São Paulo – to avoid being “a loser”.
  “If Forlán wants to be a loser, he can go to São Paulo. However, if he wants to be a winner, I will advise him to play for Corinthians”, said Elias, who was voted best defensive midfielder of the Brazilian League receiving  the Silver Ball award, given by Placar Magazine and the ESPN Brasil TV channel.
  On Sunday (5), Elias had already confirmed his transfer for the amount of 7 million Euros to Atletico Madrid, Forlán’s club.  The Uruguayan’s representative, Fabiano Farah, informed that he was trying to transfer Forlan to Corinthians, São Paulo or Flamengo.
  If “Charrúa” isn´t transferred, he will be Elias’s partner in 2011 for the “colcheoneros”, as the players of Atletico are known.
  Elias (25) will leave Corinthians at the end of the 2010 Brazilian League, which finished last Sunday (5) with Fluminense’s victory, two points ahead of runner-up Cruzeiro, and three ahead of the 3rd place, Corinthians, where striker Ronaldo, who is also represented by Farah, plays.
  The agent wanted to negotiate Forlán with São Paulo so the athlete would end his career in the Brazilian club, fulfilling a dream of his father, former side-back and idol of the club in the 70’s. Furthermore, a transfer to Brazil would bring him nearer his family and his Argentinean girlfriend.
  Forlán, who hasn´t scored in the Spanish League for three months, rocked the nets on Saturday (27), scoring twice against Osasuña in the 3-0 victory. 
  Forlán recently was elected  best player of the World Cup, scoring five goals in the tournament

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Messi competing for the FIFA Golden Ball award

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• PARIS, December 6, 2010 (AFP) - Three Barcelona players -- Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi -- have been shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2010.Iniesta and Xavi played for Spain's victorious World Cup team, while Messi played for Argentina in South Africa. The winner will be announced in Zurich on January 10. Last year the trophy went to Messi for his outstanding play at Barcelona.
  World governing body FIFA released a first shortlist of 23 players in October 26 with seven members of Spain's World Cup winning squad in the running for the prestigious Player of the Year award.
  The revamped award is a combination of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the France Football Ballon d'Or trophy, which have been run separately until now.
  Italian sports daily Gazzetta Dello Sport reported in its Sunday edition that the award would go to Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final against the Netherlands in July.
  Iniesta said that whichever of the three landed the award it would be great news for Barca.
  "It would be a marvellous reward for the club. I am proud to be one of the three Ballon d'Or finalists, but all the more so to be alongside Xavi and Leo (Messi)," Iniesta said on his Facebook page. It is only the third time that there has been a shortlist of players from the same club. In 1988 and 1989, AC Milan's Marco Van Basten won on both occasions with clubmate Ruud Gullit second in 1988 and Franco Baresi runner-up the following year while Frank Rijkaard was third on both occasions.
  Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder had been considered a strong candidate for this year's award, but he failed to make the shortlist.
  Javier Zanetti, Sneijder's Inter Milan team-mate and captain, expressed his anger at Sneijder's snub and said he was also annoyed that Inter striker Diego Milito, last season's top scorer, was overlooked for the original list of 23.
  "It's absurd. Wesley's a fantastic player and if we won the treble (of league, cup and Champions League) last season, it was also thanks to him," said the Argentine.
  "But for me it's even more serious that Diego Milito wasn't even considered amongst the candidates."

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