Balotelli Exit Provokes Few Tears AMONG Italian FANS
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SPORTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2014 Powerful Ahly among CAF semi-finals hopefuls JOHANNESBURG: Serial African club title winners Al- cied to join Group A leaders Coton in the semi-finals. us entrench our position at the top of the table,” added Ahly of Egypt are among six sides chasing three CAF A draw at home to win-less ASEC will take the shock the recent successor to caretaker coach Fathi Mabrouk. Confederation Cup semi-finals places this weekend. 2012 Confederation Cup winners through at the After a 1-0 home win over Sewe on his CAF debut, The other hopefuls include Zambians Nkana, Ivorians expense of Bamako. The only chance the Malians have Garrido watched the Cairo ‘Red Devils’ fall by the same Sewe San Pedro, Tunisians Etoile Sahel, Congolese AC is to win handsomely at home against Coton and hope score away to Nkana two weeks ago. Leopards and Malians Real Bamako. Cameroonians Leopards lose heavily to former African champions Garrido believes a severely depleted squad con- Coton Sport have already qualified and Ivorians ASEC ASEC. That is an improbable scenario, but the group tributed to the setback on the Zambian copper-belt. Mimosas are out of contention. has produced some stunning upsets, including “We are competing in Africa with only 17 players-three Ahly host Etoile in Cairo needing a draw from a Leopards winning 4-0 at Coton after being held at of whom are goalkeepers-due to injuries and transfers. clash of two of the three most successful CAF clubs to home by the Cameroonians. Although one point will “However, I have complete confidence in my squad seal a last-four berth. A draw for Nkana away to Sewe be enough for Ahly, winners of a record 18 CAF titles, and together we are going to win this match.” Ahly and San Pedro in Abidjan would earn the Zambians the Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido insists a draw is the Etoile clashed in two CAF Champions League finals other Group B semi-finals slot. Etoile must win to have last thing on his mind. within three years during the past decade with each a chance of staying in the second-tier African club “We will play to win-I will not go for a draw,” insisted club winning one. Etoile, the only winners of all five competition while a win for Sewe would guarantee the 45-year-old former Villarreal, Bruges and Real Betis CAF club competitions, tackle Ahly at Cairo Stadium survival. Ahly have eight points, Nkana seven, Sewe six manager to the Egyptian media. “Etoile are tough having suffered losses away to Nkana and a home to and eight CAF title winners Etoile five, entering the opponents and the game is going to be difficult. The Sewe. A blow for the Egyptian ‘Red Devils’ is the con- final series of mini-league fixtures today and tomorrow. Tunisians have vast experience of matches like this tinuing ban on spectators after clashes between club Leopards are three points ahead of Real and hotly fan- one.”However, we are going for the victory that will see supporters and police this year. — AFP Balotelli exit provokes few RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW tears among Italian fans Zenit set to continue their ROME: Mario Balotelli’s departure from AC Milan for Liverpool provoked few tears among Italian football fans with many say- ing ‘good riddance’ to the controversial striker. Balotelli, 24, perfect start left Italy in a private jet at lunchtime yesterday and, provided he passes a medical, was due to be unveiled as a Liverpool MOSCOW: Zenit St Petersburg will be confident of player by the end of the day. For Milan, the 20-million-euro extending their perfect start to the Russian Premier ($27 million) sale is the latest confirmation that the one-time League season when they welcome Amkar Perm to giant of Italian football has become a selling club. It has also the Petrovsky Stadium yesterday. left a huge gap in their forward line, little over a week from the Zenit are the only team to have won all four closure of the transfer market. matches so far and have scored 15 goals in the Milan boss Filipo Inzaghi, who has already lost Brazilian process, including eight against newly-promoted playmaker Kaka to Major League Soccer (MLS) this summer, is reported to be pursuing FC Porto’s highly-rated Colombian Torpedo Moscow. They will have their home sup- striker Jackson Martinez. After scoring 46 goals in 60 appear- port behind them once again after being forced to ances over the two seasons he has spent in Portugal, Martinez, play both Torpedo and Ufa behind closed doors 27, has attracted interest from a string of top clubs, including because of a two-game supporter ban as a punish- Arsenal and Chelsea, so there is no guarantee that Milan will ment for trouble at a match against Dynamo succeed in bringing him to the San Siro. Moscow late last season. Reports suggest Inzaghi is also looking at Torino and Italy And an Amkar side who have collected just one winger Alessio Cerci. Also 27, Cerci is possibly a more realistic point from their opening four games would appear target given that Milan, who finished eighth in Serie A last sea- unlikely to represent a stiff test for Zenit, even if son, cannot offer new recruits European football. Neither this encounter comes in between the two legs of a Martinez or Cerci will come with Balotelli-sized salary expecta- Champions League play-off against Standard Liege tions, which will be welcome news for Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi. The media tycoon and former prime minister turns for Andre Villas-Boas’s men. 78 next month and has been steadily scaling back his financial An Oleg Shatov strike gave Zenit a 1-0 win in commitment to the seven-times European champions. Belgium on Wednesday, leaving last season’s Balotelli is the latest in a string of top players to leave Milan in Russian runners-up with one foot in the group recent years. stage ahead of next Tuesday’s return. However, for- Andrea Pirlo was allowed to go in 2011 because Berlusconi mer Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss would not sanction any more than a one-year contract exten- Villas Boas warned: “We must keep in mind that we sion for the playmaker who has since helped Juventus to three haven’t had a break in a while. consecutive titles. Zlatan Ibrahamovic and Thiago Silva “Since starting our Champions League campaign departed for Paris Saint-Germain a year later.It has been seen we have played seven matches without a break, as significant that Berlusconi has sanctioned the sale of and with flights and having to acclimatize to each Balotelli for 20 million euros ($27 million), the same amount he paid for him in January 2013 when Manchester City were new place. “We played a good match in Liege but desperate to offload him. Berlusconi’s daughter, Barbara, our work hasn’t been completed as we expect a revealed earlier this year that the family were seeking new tough clash in the return leg with Standard. And I investors who would be willing to buy a 30 percent stake in am positive that we will be completely ready for the club with the aim of restoring its financial firepower. To our next match.” date there have been no indications of progress on that front. Elsewhere today, Spartak Moscow travel to pro- moted Ufa fresh from their 1-0 win in the Moscow Will always walk alone MILAN: In file this picture, AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli controls the ball during a Serie A soccer match derby with reigning champions CSKA. Murat Yakin, The baggage of erratic, unpredictable behavior that comes the Swiss coach of Spartak, is hopeful that forward with Balotelli was reflected in the reaction to his departure. A between AC Milan and Genoa, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. — AP Artem Dzyuba, scorer of four goals in the opening poll run on sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport’s website sug- two matches, and midfielder Tino Costa will recover gested most readers were happy to see the back of him, with Adriano Galliano had pulled off the greatest transfer “coup” in 83 percent of more than 2,500 respondents saying they were the club’s history. In a more serious commentary on Balotelli from minor injuries in time to make the trip 1,400 happy to see him return to England. His departure also pro- joining the fourth major club of his career at the age of 24, La kilometers east to Ufa. voked much humorous comment on social media, with one Gazzetta said Italy would miss its prodigal son. But the daily And reigning champions CSKA, without last sea- Twitter user mocking up an image of the famous Abbey Road also suggested he could struggle to settle on Merseyside, far son’s leading scorer Seydou Doumbia due to injury, picture of the Beatles on a pedestrian crossing with Balotelli from his Italian family and the baby daughter he has with a face a stiff test away to Rubin Kazan. “We lacked parked on it in his red sports car. former girlfriend. “The Kop will sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ creativity in our last match,” admitted CSKA coach Another Twitter-wit observed: “Balotelli leaving Italy: it’s to him ... but Mario, who seems incapable of putting down Leonid Slutsky, referring to the 1-0 defeat to not one to add to the brain drain list.” Former Italy striker roots, will always walk alone,” Gazzetta predicted.