NATIONAL TEAM - SWITZERLAND - 2014 WORLD CUP - Goodbye, Ottmar Hitzfeld. All the best and take care.

Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.

“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told FIFA.com, before Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” 

2 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - ARGENTINA VS SWITZERLAND 1:0

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Argentina vs Switzerland 1:0

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - BELGIUM VS USA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Belgium vs USA 2:1

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - ARGENTINA - KEY PLAYER - ‪LIONEL MESSI - PROFILE

Lionel Andrés Messi; born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team.

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. 

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - USA - KEY PLAYER - ‪JERMAINE JONES - PROFILE

Jermaine Junior Jones, born 3 November 1981, is a German-American footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Beşiktaş. He has previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Blackburn Rovers and Schalke 04. He was born in Germany and represented them at U21 and senior level.

1 Jul 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - STEPHEN KESHI RESIGNS AFTER EXIT

He becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, following the departures of Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup finals, was previously in charge of Mali and Togo.

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE vs NIGERIA 2:0

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

France vs Nigeria 2:0

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - GERMANY vs ALGERIA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

Germany vs Algeria 2:1

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - GERMANY - KEY PLAYER - THOMAS MUELLER‬ - PROFILE

Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions. He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.

He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion. Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - FRANCE - KEY PLAYER - ‪KARIM BENZEMA - PROFILE

He has been named French Player of the Year twice for his performances in 2011 and 2012. Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. 

Benzema has earned over 65 caps and represented France at three major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

30 Jun 2014

STARS IN EUROPE - IVORY COAST - BONY JOINS MAN CITY

MAN CITY WILFRIED BONY

Swansea City have agreed a £28m fee to sell striker Wilfried Bony to Premier League champions Manchester City.

The Ivory Coast international, 26, joined Swansea for a club-record £12m from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013 and was the Premier League's top scorer in 2014 with 20 goals.

The fee breaks the Welsh club record sale of £15m that Liverpool paid Swansea for Joe Allen in August 2012.

The two clubs hope to conclude the deal in the next 48 hours.

City expect personal terms and a medical to be hitch-free, despite Bony being on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast for at least the next three weeks.

The deal is £25m cash upfront with a further £3m in performance-related add-ons.

Swansea manager Garry Monk previously said it would take an "astronomical" fee to prise his top scorer away from the Liberty Stadium.

Bony, who scored an injury-time equaliser for Swansea against QPR on New Year's Day, has fired nine goals in 22 appearances this season.

Man City were without injured strikers Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko for the festive period and manager Manuel Pellegrini is keen to add further depth to his squad.

The Chilean, 61, had indicated he was not looking to do serious business in the January transfer window.

The club were hit with Uefa sanctions last year for breaching financial fair play rules which included a spending cap of £49m, plus any money raised from transfer fees.

They spent around £48m in the summer on Eliaquim Mangala, midfielder Fernando, and goalkeeper Willy Caballero, although they sold Jack Rodwell to Sunderland for a reported £10m and midfielder Javi Garcia joined Zenit St Petersburg for £13m.

But with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham reported to be interested in Bony, it is the Premier League champions who have moved quickest to bolster their attacking options.

 

Wilfried Bony

 

 

12 Jan 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

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