MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 SPORTS Souness warns Man Photo of the day United of long haul LONDON: Graeme Souness believes “United have already dropped seven Manchester United face a lengthy transi- points from a possible nine. If you continue tion period if manager Louis van Gaal’s with three at the back and the results are favoured 3-5-2 formation is to succeed at not improving, players will not be slow in Old Trafford. turning round and pointing their fingers at Van Gaal has still to oversee his first the coach, saying, ‘It’s not that I am not Premier League win as United boss, with playing well, it’s the system’.” the faltering English giants having lost to Souness also questioned whether the Swansea on the opening day and been system, which Van Gaal deployed success- held to draws by both Sunderland and fully while overseeing his native Burnley. Meanwhile the Dutchman also suf- Netherlands’ run to third place at the World fered the embarrassment of seeing United Cup in Brazil, would suit United’s British- knocked out of the English League Cup fol- record signing Angel di Maria, who joined lowing a 4-0 defeat by third-tier Milton from Real Madrid for £59.7 million ($98 mil- Keynes Dons. lion, 75 million euros) last month. Liverpool and Scotland midfield great “Angel di Maria is too much of a winger Souness questioned whether United had to play as a wing-back, so he could play the players in their squad to set-up with one position inside the widest man in a 3- three at the back. 5-2,” said Souness. “If Van Gaal is determined to persist with “If you play with a back four you can a back three, this is going to be a long and play him wide, as Argentina did when he painful transition for United,” the former made three goals and scored the other in Liverpool, Rangers, Blackburn and their 4-2 win over Germany in midweek. Southampton manager wrote in his Sunday “I don’t read much into international Times column. “The team may take until friendlies but that performance showed his November to settle down. You ain’t going talent.” United will go in search of their first to win the league if you take that long and Premier League win under Van Gaal when you might not make the Champions they face Queens Park Rangers at Old League places either,” Souness added. Trafford a week yesterday. — AFP FIFA asks arrested finance member for explanation Ken Roczen competes in the AMA Pro Motocross Championships at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York, USA. — www.redbull.com MIAMI: FIFA has asked for an explana- investigation into the introduction of a tion from a member of its financial swipe card system. Baines also cited “sus- watchdog who was arrested on suspicion picion of money-laundering contrary to of corruption and money-laundering in section 133 of the Proceeds of Crime Platini threatens retired the Cayman Islands. Canover Watson, Law” in the Watson case. one of eight members of FIFA’s Audit and Watson denied the allegations in a Compliance Committee and a vice-presi- statement to the Cayman Compass dent of the Caribbean Football Union, newspaper. The newspaper said no Ribery with suspension has denied the charges and been charges had yet been filed against released on bail in the British overseas Watson who under his bail terms is due territory. to report back to police on Sept. 29. BERLIN: UEFA president Michel Platini has if selected. “Franck cannot decide himself But national teams usually respect a player’s Domenico Scala, head of the commit- CONCACAF, the confederation which threatened compatriot and now-retired former whether he plays for France,” said the former decision to retire from international duty. That tee, said he had asked Watson for details. governs soccer in North and Central France playmaker Franck Ribery with a suspen- France star and coach. “If (coach) Didier wasn’t the case, however, back in 2006 when “In agreement with the Ethics Committee America and the Caribbean, said it was sion, according to yesterday’s version of Bild Deschamps picks him, he must come. That’s the then France coach Raymond Domenech forced we have asked Canover Watson whether waiting for further details. newspaper. FIFA rule. If he doesn’t come, he will be suspend- Claude Makelele, then 33, to turn up to repre- he can share with the Audit and “...CONCACAF is awaiting the com- Bayern Munich winger Ribery announced his ed for three Bayern Munich games.” There is a sent the national team despite having Compliance Committee any additional plete review of the ongoing proceed- retirement from France duty after the World Cup FIFA rule in place which forces players to accept announced his international retirement after the information,” said Scala in a statement ings,” the confederation said in a state- in Brazil, which he missed due to a back injury. national team call-ups to prevent them-or rather World Cup. That led to Makelele’s then Chelsea issued by FIFA. “Once we have more ment. But Platini now claims the 31-year-old will have their clubs-from picking and choosing which manager Jose Mourinho accusing Domenech of information we will consider appropriate “At CONCACAF, we take great pride of no choice but to continue playing for his country internationals they play. treating his player “like a slave”. — AFP measures.” The FIFA committee is the highest standards of integrity, gover- charged with ensuring the “completeness nance and transparency that lead the and reliability of the financial accounting” organization.” of world soccer’s governing body. The Cayman Islands has become a Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption power centre within the CONCACAF Commissioner David Baines, in a state- region. The CONCACAF president is FIFA ment to local media, said that Watson vice-president Jeffrey Webb, who is also was suspected of “breach of trust con- president of the Cayman Islands Football trary to section 13 of the Cayman Islands Association which lists Watson as its Anti-Corruption Law, as well as abuse of treasurer. Webb took over as CONCACAF public office... and conflict of interest”. president after the resignation of Those allegations refer to Watson’s Trinidadian Jack Warner, who was at the time at the head of Cayman’s Health centre of numerous corruption allega- Service Authority and follow a police tions. — Reuters Striking problems confront Spain’s attempted revolution VALENCIA: Spain’s bid to put right a disas- However, Manchester City midfielder trous defence of the World Cup gets under- David Silva insists that that style should way in the modest surrounds of Levante’s remain despite an overhaul in personal. 26,000 capacity stadium against equally “There are a lot of new people and we need modest opponents Macedonia today. to link up all the new pieces, that is the way However, a series of injuries to key play- forward. ers leaves coach Vicente del Bosque search- “But we have won a lot playing this way. ing for goalscorers in his need for a big per- Cesc (Fabregas), Andres, myself, there are formance to quell the doubts over his abili- many of us who are used to this and I think ty to rejuvenate the side and compete for a we need to continue with it. third consecutive European Championship “Important players have left, but those triumph. that remain are important too and I am Chelsea striker Diego Costa pulled out sure the new ones will be too in time.” Del of the squad on Thursday after damaging Bosque has another key decision to make his hamstring in the 1-0 friendly defeat by in goal with Manchester United’s David de France on Wednesday, leaving Valencia’s Gea challenging captain Iker Casillas to be Paco Alcacer, who only made his interna- the number one. tional debut in Paris as a second-half sub- De Gea made his first start at senior stitute, as the only recognised striker left in international level against France, but Del the squad. Bosque is expected to back Casillas once Scoring goals has been a familiar prob- more despite his culpability as Spain were lem for Spain in recent times as they failed swept aside by the Netherlands and Chile to score from open play before being elimi- at the World Cup. BASEL: England players train yesterday at the St Jakob-Park stadium in Basel on the eve of a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying football match between nated in Brazil and found the net just 14 Given the lack of attacking options, Switzerland and England. — AFP times in eight games in qualifying for the Fabregas is also expected to return to the World Cup. false number nine position he has played The absence of the injured Andres regularly over the past few years for Spain, Iniesta, added to the international retire- despite starring in central midfield for new Woebegone England ments of Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso, club Chelsea so far this season. also significantly affects La Roja’s ability to Jordi Alba, Raul Albiol, Pedro Rodriguez play the tiki-taka style of football that and Silva are also likely to come back into brought them success in three consecutive the side from the experimental line-up that face taxing Swiss start international tournaments. started against France. — AFP LONDON: Missing Daniel Sturridge and stung performances have not lived up to expectations, players-coupled with the retirements of Steven by recent media criticism, England begin their but believes a positive display against Vladimir Gerrard and Frank Lampard-mean that 2016 European Championship qualifying cam- Petkovic’s Switzerland would alleviate the doom Hodgson’s resources are thin on the ground.