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Soccer Capsules: Kroenke increases stake in soccer club Arsenal
Comments 0 | Recommend 0LONDON — American businessman Stan Kroenke has moved within a fraction of launching a mandatory takeover bid for Premier League soccer club Arsenal.
Kroenke, the London club’s largest shareholder, increased his stake to 29.6 percent, just short of the 29.9 needed to force a takeover. He previously held a 28.9 percent stake.
The Denver-based businessman’s latest acquisition of 427 shares cost him about $5.9 million.
During Arsenal’s annual general meeting late last month, Kroenke avoided questions about his takeover plans, instead allowing chairman Peter Hill-Wood to answer for him.
In Britain, individuals or groups wishing to make a takeover bid must be unambiguous with their intentions or face a six-month penalty before being able to launch the bid.
The Arsenal Supporters Trust, a fans’ group that has been seeking a meeting with Kroenke, released a statement Tuesday stressing that it opposes a full takeover of the club.
"While the AST welcome Stan Kroenke’s involvement, we agree with the sentiment of Peter Hill-Wood’s statement at the most recent AGM that there is no need for any shareholder to launch a takeover of the club," the AST said. "The AST believes in plurality of ownership."
Americans own four other Premier League clubs — Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Sunderland.
If Arsenal is taken over by Kroenke — or even Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, the club’s second-largest shareholder — it would become the 11th club in the 20-team Premier League under foreign ownership.
The latest club to fall under foreign ownership was Birmingham, which was bought by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung last month. Other clubs are Chelsea, Manchester City, Fulham, West Ham and Portsmouth.
Kroenke also owns the Colorado Rapids, the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche.
Soehn out as DC United coach
WASHINGTON — D.C. United says Tom Soehn has withdrawn from consideration to stay on as the team’s coach after three seasons.
Soehn’s contract expires at the end of 2009, and the team says on its Web site it will start searching for a replacement immediately.
United was 36-30-24 in Major League Soccer matches under Soehn. He went 55-48-31 in all competitions.
The team went 9-8-13 this season and missed the playoffs.
Champions League
Man United, Chelsea advance in Champions League
LONDON — Manchester United and Chelsea both scored late Tuesday to clinch places in the next round of the Champions League along with Bordeaux and FC Porto.
United was trailing 3-1 with six minutes left, but Paul Scholes and Antonio Valencia scored to give last season's runner-up the point it needed to advance.
Didier Drogba scored in the 82nd and 88th to put Chelsea 2-1 up at Atletico Madrid, although the 2008 finalist conceded an injury-time goal to Sergio Aguero and drew 2-2.
Bordeaux won 2-0 at Bayern Munich, while FC Porto's 1-0 win at APOEL Nicosia means it advances alongside Chelsea and eliminates the other Group D sides.
AC Milan and Real Madrid still have qualification to play for following their 1-1 draw in Italy.
Man United manager Alex Ferguson rested several key players and watched his much-changed side slip 3-1 behind before he introduced Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra for the last half hour.
Rooney provided menace in attack and Scholes headed in a right-wing cross, before Valencia got a deflected equalizer in the second minute of added time.
Although Ferguson could point to the referee's mistake in booking Darren Fletcher for diving when he should have awarded United a penalty, the three-time European champions simply gave CSKA too much room to attack.
Alan Dzagoev put CSKA ahead in the 25th minute with a shot from a narrow angle and, although Michael Owen equalized, Milos Krasnic made it 2-1 with a turn and shot after more slack defending.
The unmarked Aleksei Berezutski scored at the start of the second half with a header when the United defense allowed a free kick from the left to reach him at the far post.
"Their goalkeeper made some fantastic saves," Ferguson said. "We lost three goals at home and you don't like that.
"But I can't believe how many chances we did create."
Wolfsburg moved to seven points, three fewer than United and three more than CSKA after a 3-0 win at Besiktas in the other Group B match.
Chelsea looked to be heading to a first defeat in Group D when Atletico substitute Aguero volleyed his team ahead in the 66th.
But Drogba marked his first Champions League match this season with a header in the 82nd and solo goal six minutes later. The Ivory Coast striker was back in the Chelsea side following a three-match suspension for his post-match tantrum in last season's semifinal loss to Barcelona.
Atletico lost 4-0 to Chelsea two weeks ago but Aguero equalized with a curling free kick beyond goalkeeper Petr Cech.
"We could have done better," Drogba said. "It's really frustrating when you concede a goal like this."
Yoann Gourcuff and Marouane Chamakh scored to take Bordeaux to 10 points in Group A, two more than Juventus and six clear of four-time European champion Bayern, which is on the verge of elimination.
Under-pressure Bayern coach Louis van Gaal brought on winger Arjen Robben at the start of the second half and then introduced striker Mario Gomez but his team could not convert its majority possession.
"We didn't have luck," Van Gaal said. "In big games you have to score. There was a hand ball that wasn't given and that could have been our goal. It's such small things that decide big games.
"But we also were not good enough. We still have a small chance but it's not all in our own hands."
Juventus beat Maccabi Haifa 1-0 in Israel in the other Group A game.
Milan and Real Madrid remain tied at the top of Group C, just a point ahead of a Marseille side that routed FC Zurich 6-1.
Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf gave Madrid the chance to attack for its opening goal when he gave away possession in midfield. Kaka carried the ball to the edge of the area and goalkeeper Dida parried his shot to let Karim Benzema score from the rebound.
But Madrid's lead lasted just six minutes. Defender Pepe handled the ball in the area and Ronaldinho smashed the resulting penalty high into the net past goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Lyon puts the tournament's last perfect record on the line Wednesday when it hosts a Liverpool side desperate for victory. Arsenal hosts AZ Alkmaar and Inter Milan is at Dynamo Kiev in another of the day's eight games.
-- Stuart Condie
Elsewhere
Ferencvaros gets stadium ban due to fan violence
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Ferencvaros was ordered Tuesday to play its next three home matches in an empty stadium after fan violence caused its last league game to be ended early.
The Hungarian football federation also fined Ferencvaros 3 million forints ($15,800, euro10,800).
Ferencvaros said it would decide on a possible appeal after receiving a copy of the official ruling.
Diosgyor was leading 3-1 at Ferencvaros on Saturday when a group of fans began throwing firecrackers and pieces of chairs ripped from the stands on to the pitch and at police. The referee stopped the match in the 69th minute.
Dozens of Ferencvaros fans continued their rowdy behavior outside the stadium after the match, and Diosgyor supporters were made to wait inside until they could leave safely.
Diosgyor host Ferencvaros again on Wednesday in a domestic cup match, and police have vowed to take extra precautions to ensure there is no repeat of Saturday's violence.
Ferencvaros' second-string team is expected to play against Diosgyor as the club has a league game on the same day against Gyor — the first of the three home games to take place in an empty stadium.
Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics said that Budapest police had set up a special team dealing with organized crime to investigate Saturday's incidents and were hoping to identify the perpetrators through security video footage.
Police also launched a disciplinary procedure against two police officials in charge of security because only two fans were detained.
Ferencvaros, which is in next-to-last place in the league after 13 rounds with a game in hand, is owned by Kevin McCabe, chairman of English team Sheffield United.
Founded in 1899, Ferencvaros was relegated to the second division for the first time in its history in 2006 due to tax debts and unpaid salaries. It returned to the top league this year.
Curbishley wins unfair dismissal case
LONDON — Former West Ham manager Alan Curbishley won his case of wrongful dismissal against the club on Tuesday when a Premier League tribunal ruled he was forced to quit after his authority over transfers was undermined.
Curbishley walked out on the team in September 2008 after Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney were sold to Sunderland against his wishes.
That amounted to a "fundamental breach" of Curbishley's contract, arbitration tribunal chairman Philip Otton said.
Curbishley, who has not taken on a new managerial job, is now in line for compensation, which will be assessed by the tribunal.
"The club completely ignored my contract when selling Anton Ferdinand, and when George McCartney was then sold, the club having given me assurances that no players would be leaving the club after the sale of Anton Ferdinand, I had no alternative but to resign," Curbishley said Tuesday. "My authority and integrity were undermined and my position was made untenable."
The tribunal rejected West Ham's counterclaim relating to the cost of hiring manager Gianfranco Zola and his assistant, Steve Clarke.
Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers' Association, said the ruling demonstrated "the critical importance of respecting contracts."
The Curbishley ruling came a month after Kevin Keegan won a similar case against Newcastle.
Slovakia picks Skrtel, Hamsik for friendlies
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss picked defender Martin Skrtel and midfielder Marek Hamsik on Tuesday for the team's friendlies against the United States and Chile.
Recently injured midfielder Marek Sapara was also back in the 23-man squad.
Slovakia, which has already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa, faces the United States on Nov. 14 in Bratislava and plays Chile three days later in Zilina.
"I'm glad we have a chance to face two different systems of play," Weiss said. "I hope we'll be able to secure an opponent from Africa (for a warmup) in the spring because we could face exactly those types of opponents in the group stage of the championship."
Weiss is still missing Besiktas striker Filip Holosko, who broke his leg ahead of October's final two World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Poland. He is expected to be out for two months.
Egil Olsen to remain Norway coach until 2012
OSLO — Egil Olsen will remain as Norway coach until FC Copenhagen's Staale Solbakken takes over in 2012.
Norway's Football Association made the announcement Tuesday.
Olsen took over when Aage Hareide stepped down in January following a string of poor results. Under the 67-year-old Olsen, Norway rose from last to second place in its World Cup qualifying group, narrowly missing a playoff berth.
FA president Sondre Kaafjord says he has faith in Olsen's "comeback" but acknowledges Solbakken is "the man for the future."
Olsen also coached Norway from 1990-1998, its most successful era.
Kahlenberg gets call-up for friendlies
COPENHAGEN — Midfielder Thomas Kahlenberg has recovered from injury and was called up Tuesday to join Denmark's squad for this month's friendlies against South Korea and the United States.
Soren Rieks, who missed World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Hungary after failing a medical test, was also on Denmark coach Morten Olsen's 21-player selection.
The Danes play South Korea in Esbjerg on Nov. 14, and the United States in Aarhus four days later. All three teams have already secured a spot at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
Olsen said veteran striker Jesper Gronkjaer, who missed Denmark's two latest World Cup qualifiers because of an injury, was back on the team.
Spain to debate reversing 'Beckham Law' tax rule
MADRID — Spain is set to begin debating whether to put an end to the "Beckham Law" that allows foreign football players to pay nearly half as much tax as regular citizens.
The governing Socialist party made a pact in parliament Tuesday with two other parties to debate whether foreign players who earn at least euro600,000 ($883,000) should pay 43 percent tax instead of the current 24 percent.
The law was named after former Real Madrid player David Beckham. The England midfielder was the first foreigner to arrive after the law came into effect in 2004.
Spanish league president Jose Luis Astiazaran told The AP that players may opt to move countries if the law is changed, adding that it could "kill" the league.
Clichy faces month out with back injury
LONDON — Arsenal defender Gael Clichy faces a lengthy layoff with a back injury and is set to miss France's World Cup qualifier against Ireland.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Tuesday that Clichy "will be out for a few weeks" if it is confirmed he has a stress fracture in his back.
France is at Ireland on Nov. 14 in Dublin, with the second leg the following Wednesday in Paris.
PSG fans forced to travel to Marseille by train
PARIS — Fans of Paris Saint-Germain attending the French league match at Marseille later this month will have to travel by a special chartered train to be admitted to Velodrome stadium.
The Interior ministry made the decision Tuesday following a meeting on security issues.
Marseille will host rival PSG on Nov. 20 in a game postponed last month because of an outbreak of swine flu in the Parisian team.
The teams' fans clashed in Marseille after the postponement was announced about six hours before kickoff on Oct. 25. Nearly a dozen people were injured.
Police use water cannon to end German soccer riot
FRANKFURT — Police used a water cannon to overcome rioting soccer fans after a second-division game and detained 23 people. Twenty-seven officers were slightly hurt.
The police reacted when about 500 violent supporters of Hansa Rostock tried to breach a police barrier and threw bottles and firecrackers after their club had lost to visiting St. Pauli 2-0. About 1,500 police were on hand for the game between the clubs whose supporters have a history of animosity.
There were clashes during and after Monday night’s game between rival groups of supporters.
Police had no information on possible injuries.
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