Archive for the ‘Gremio’ Category
Brazil’s Ronaldinho © AFP Daniel Garcia YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) -After spending six months frozen out of football last year, Ronaldinho has come in from the cold to help Brazil into the World Cup final against Germany.
The story of their campaign may have been the rebirth of Ronaldo, but it is the Inter Milan star’s 22-year-old team-mate who has done as much as anyone to keep Brazil on course for a fifth title.
Ronaldinho’s blinding pace unhinged England’s defence in the quarter-finals to set up a goal for Rivaldo, and his audacious free-kick caught out David Seaman to seal a 2-1 victory for Brazil.
Arguably he has been the most important component of Brazil’s vaunted ‘Triple R’ strike-force, surging forward from just behind Ronaldo and Rivaldo and pulling opposing defenders out of position.
“It’s a real plus that he is coming back for the final,” Ronaldo said, commenting on Ronaldinho’s return following his suspension for a harsh sending off against England. “We’ve replaced him very well so far, but he is a match-winner.”
That Ronaldinho has sparkled at the World Cup should come as no surprise.
He was hailed as the new boy-wonder of Brazilian football after starring in Brazil’s winning 1997 FIFA Under-17 World Championship campaign, a tournament he finished as top scorer.
He confirmed his burgeoning talent at the 1999 Copa America, scoring an extraordinary individual goal against Venezuela which has passed into Brazilian folklore.
His talents at that tournament attracted the attention of several clubs in Europe, and early last year he looked to have completed a dream move from Gremio to France’s Paris Saint Germain.
But within days the transfer ran into problems.
Gremio, insisting they had not sold him, appealed to FIFA for intervention leaving Ronaldinho languishing on the sidelines and barred from playing until the dispute was settled.
It rumbled on for close to six months before PSG were eventually ordered to pay a transfer fee to Gremio that finally allowed the Brazilian youngster to relaunch his career.
A period of transition followed, with Ronaldinho taking his time to find the sort of form that had helped make him one of the hottest properties in world football. Slowly but surely, PSG’s fans were able to see for themselves what the fuss was all about.
His prowess from free-kicks and some memorable individual goals were the highlights of a disappointing season for PSG this year.
Utusan Malaysia
Travel: A Barcelona Sojourn
Posted on: July 26, 2008
A bird’s eye view of the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Barcelona teems with Gothic history, art and architecture. CHEONG PHIN tries to take it all in within a day.
The charming Placa Reial characterised by palm trees and Las Tres Gracias fountain.
The colourful mosaic art of Miro splashed on the famous boulevard of Las Ramblas.
BARCELONA is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous community of the kingdom of Spain that borders France to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east.
In 1992, it hosted the Olympic Games and emerged as one of the most popular tourists’ destinations in Europe.
The famous Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza describes it as “a city that is constantly reinventing itself”.
Its strategic position as a gateway to Europe, which has long exposed it to challenging foreign viewpoints, cuisines and trends, served to facilitate and shape the changes.
Today, this vibrant coastal city is a favourite port of call of cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean and like many of the cruising holiday makers, I flew into Barcelona a day before embarking on my Med Cruise to see as much of this beautiful city teeming over with Gothic history, art and architecture.
The 1,500 years of the city’s existence has proudly produced Spain’s most notable artists like Picasso, Miro, Dali and Antoni Gaudi.
Fortunately, Barcelona is a place which is easy to explore on your own. The easy-to-use subway system (the Metro) and the yellow taxis are reliable and not too expensive but I discovered that walking is probably the best way to appreciate this wondrous city in spite of my limited sight-seeing time.
LAS RAMBLAS
Las Ramblas is a 1.2km walkway that runs through the heart of the historical part of Barcelona.
Here you will see all sorts of shops and vendors selling flowers, souvenirs and pets; sidewalk cafes, restaurants, bars and street performers along with the thousands of tourists and the Catalan people of Barcelona promenading up and down the boulevard till the early hours of the morning.
Stretching from the bustling Placa de Catalunya in the north to the Monument a Colom by the seafront in the south, this lively avenue is home to plenty of hotels and is a recommended area to stay if you are setting sail on a Med Cruise because the port of embarkation is only a short distance away.
It is also an ideal place to kickstart your tour of this Catalan city as Las Ramblas enroute leads to many important streets and squares of great interest and historical significance.
BARI GOTIC
Not far from the Placa de Catalunya on the right is the Barri Gotic area, also known as the Gothic Quarter.
This is where the old town of Barcelona originated and here you can still find narrow cobbled streets and ancient tall buildings that have changed little since their golden age of prosperity from 13th to 15th centuries.
Pablo Picasso lived and worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904 and Joan Mir″ was born and raised here in his younger days.
A great place to wander around and step back in time as you discover boutiques, antique shops, restaurants, tapas bars and some of the city’s oldest monuments along the narrow alleys or hidden corners in this labyrinth.
For a traditional Catalonian meal, try to get a table at Los Caracoles, a popular restaurant on Escudellers Street that has already attracted world-famous personalities regularly for many years as proven by the pictures that grace the wall leading to the upper dining floor.
PLA A REIAL
Otherwise, you can rest your tired feet from the walking with a cold beer and a tapas lunch at one of the entrance and a stick of umbrella that serves to remind us of the building’s history as an umbrella shop in its older days.
Splashed in front of this interesting building on the Ramblas is the colourful mosaic of paving stones created by Spanish artist Joan Mir″ in the 1970s.
many cafes and restaurants in the nearby Placa Reial and watch the Catalan life go by.
This traditional public square was erected in mid 19th century over a former convent of Capuchin and is characterised by beautiful arches, palm trees, street lamps shaped like trees by a young Antoni Gaudi and Las Tres Gracias fountain that sits in the middle of this charming space.
On Sundays, there is the weekend flea market selling all sorts of things from books and stamp collections to old coins.
A hive of activity flourishes at night with plenty of restaurants and chill-out bars for the partying crowd to congregate before heading to the dance clubs in the neighbourhood later.
GRAN TEATRE del LICEU and other building facades
The avenue of Las Ramblas is also home to one of the finest opera houses in Europe, the Gran Teatre del Liceu where several world famous Catalan opera singers such as Montserrat Caball
and Jose Carreras have performed periodically.
Originally built in 1847, the auditorium and stage were tragically burnt down in 1994.
The new Liceu, inaugurated in 2000, fortunately kept the original facade and continued to expand its facilities.
Beautiful building facades are one of the highlights of Barcelona and there’s plenty along Las Ramblas.
One of the most interesting is the Casa Bruno Cuadros, a colourful building decorated with Japanese umbrellas and is now a bank.
An imposing dragon guards theGet there early in the morning if you want an uninterrupted view of the artwork before the day crowd trample over it.
PLA A del PI
A short walking distance towards the rear of the oriental flavoured building is Placa del Pi which is one of the best loved areas for artists and bohemians to gather during weekends at the arts and crafts fair.
Aptly named after a pine tree (pi) that grew in the square, the area is dominated by the 14th Century Gothic church of Santa Maria del Pi with its huge multi-coloured rose window facing the fascinating decorated walls of the house of Gremio de los Revendedores which dates back to 1685.
ANTONI GAUDI art and architecture
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to at least one of Antoni Gaudi’s works of art — particularly La Sagrada Familia (the temple), Casa Mila (the block of apartments), and Parc Guell (the outdoor park).
La Sagrada Familia or Temple of the Sacred Family is undoubtedly one of those rare iconic structures of any city in the world that is unfinished and therefore much misunderstood.
It is not a cathedral but was intended to be a temple where Catalans would converge to do penance for the sins of “modernity”.
Construction began as early as 1882 with Gaudi working on the project over 40 years until his untimely death in 1926.
It is a work of immense proportions which is based on the use of innovative geometric shapes of naturalist style and the current architects continue to construct this masterpiece on this basis.
Eight of the 12 bell towers of the facade, dedicated to the Apostles, are already built with four of the remaining belfries awaiting construction.
The contrasting styles of the impressive sculptures that greet the visitors on the front and back of this Temple are testament to the progressive nature of this construction.
Go early and join the bee line to ascend to the bridge that links the towers and marvel at the breathtaking view of Barcelona from the top as well as a close up of the colourful tiled pillar with the cross that divides the towers.
Parc Guell, an outdoor park, is another impressive work of art and architecture from Antoni Gaudi that started in 1922.
Originally intended to be a suburban housing project, it was converted into a municipal park that is full of imaginative and whimsical mosaic tile work on swirling serpentine seats and a dragon that dominates the staircase leading to the Hundred Pillar hall (designed for a market place).
Only two houses were built, one of them being the project’s show house in which Gaudi lived from 1920 to 1926.
It’s open to the public as a museum containing Gaudi’s unique possessions and inspirations and is worth a visit, if time permits.
New Straits Times
Travel: A Barcelona Sojourn
Posted on: July 26, 2008
A bird’s eye view of the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Barcelona teems with Gothic history, art and architecture. CHEONG PHIN tries to take it all in within a day.
The charming Placa Reial characterised by palm trees and Las Tres Gracias fountain.
The colourful mosaic art of Miro splashed on the famous boulevard of Las Ramblas.
BARCELONA is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous community of the kingdom of Spain that borders France to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east.
In 1992, it hosted the Olympic Games and emerged as one of the most popular tourists’ destinations in Europe.
The famous Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza describes it as “a city that is constantly reinventing itself”.
Its strategic position as a gateway to Europe, which has long exposed it to challenging foreign viewpoints, cuisines and trends, served to facilitate and shape the changes.
Today, this vibrant coastal city is a favourite port of call of cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean and like many of the cruising holiday makers, I flew into Barcelona a day before embarking on my Med Cruise to see as much of this beautiful city teeming over with Gothic history, art and architecture.
The 1,500 years of the city’s existence has proudly produced Spain’s most notable artists like Picasso, Miro, Dali and Antoni Gaudi.
Fortunately, Barcelona is a place which is easy to explore on your own. The easy-to-use subway system (the Metro) and the yellow taxis are reliable and not too expensive but I discovered that walking is probably the best way to appreciate this wondrous city in spite of my limited sight-seeing time.
LAS RAMBLAS
Las Ramblas is a 1.2km walkway that runs through the heart of the historical part of Barcelona.
Here you will see all sorts of shops and vendors selling flowers, souvenirs and pets; sidewalk cafes, restaurants, bars and street performers along with the thousands of tourists and the Catalan people of Barcelona promenading up and down the boulevard till the early hours of the morning.
Stretching from the bustling Placa de Catalunya in the north to the Monument a Colom by the seafront in the south, this lively avenue is home to plenty of hotels and is a recommended area to stay if you are setting sail on a Med Cruise because the port of embarkation is only a short distance away.
It is also an ideal place to kickstart your tour of this Catalan city as Las Ramblas enroute leads to many important streets and squares of great interest and historical significance.
BARI GOTIC
Not far from the Placa de Catalunya on the right is the Barri Gotic area, also known as the Gothic Quarter.
This is where the old town of Barcelona originated and here you can still find narrow cobbled streets and ancient tall buildings that have changed little since their golden age of prosperity from 13th to 15th centuries.
Pablo Picasso lived and worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904 and Joan Mir″ was born and raised here in his younger days.
A great place to wander around and step back in time as you discover boutiques, antique shops, restaurants, tapas bars and some of the city’s oldest monuments along the narrow alleys or hidden corners in this labyrinth.
For a traditional Catalonian meal, try to get a table at Los Caracoles, a popular restaurant on Escudellers Street that has already attracted world-famous personalities regularly for many years as proven by the pictures that grace the wall leading to the upper dining floor.
PLA A REIAL
Otherwise, you can rest your tired feet from the walking with a cold beer and a tapas lunch at one of the entrance and a stick of umbrella that serves to remind us of the building’s history as an umbrella shop in its older days.
Splashed in front of this interesting building on the Ramblas is the colourful mosaic of paving stones created by Spanish artist Joan Mir″ in the 1970s.
many cafes and restaurants in the nearby Placa Reial and watch the Catalan life go by.
This traditional public square was erected in mid 19th century over a former convent of Capuchin and is characterised by beautiful arches, palm trees, street lamps shaped like trees by a young Antoni Gaudi and Las Tres Gracias fountain that sits in the middle of this charming space.
On Sundays, there is the weekend flea market selling all sorts of things from books and stamp collections to old coins.
A hive of activity flourishes at night with plenty of restaurants and chill-out bars for the partying crowd to congregate before heading to the dance clubs in the neighbourhood later.
GRAN TEATRE del LICEU and other building facades
The avenue of Las Ramblas is also home to one of the finest opera houses in Europe, the Gran Teatre del Liceu where several world famous Catalan opera singers such as Montserrat Caball
and Jose Carreras have performed periodically.
Originally built in 1847, the auditorium and stage were tragically burnt down in 1994.
The new Liceu, inaugurated in 2000, fortunately kept the original facade and continued to expand its facilities.
Beautiful building facades are one of the highlights of Barcelona and there’s plenty along Las Ramblas.
One of the most interesting is the Casa Bruno Cuadros, a colourful building decorated with Japanese umbrellas and is now a bank.
An imposing dragon guards theGet there early in the morning if you want an uninterrupted view of the artwork before the day crowd trample over it.
PLA A del PI
A short walking distance towards the rear of the oriental flavoured building is Placa del Pi which is one of the best loved areas for artists and bohemians to gather during weekends at the arts and crafts fair.
Aptly named after a pine tree (pi) that grew in the square, the area is dominated by the 14th Century Gothic church of Santa Maria del Pi with its huge multi-coloured rose window facing the fascinating decorated walls of the house of Gremio de los Revendedores which dates back to 1685.
ANTONI GAUDI art and architecture
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to at least one of Antoni Gaudi’s works of art — particularly La Sagrada Familia (the temple), Casa Mila (the block of apartments), and Parc Guell (the outdoor park).
La Sagrada Familia or Temple of the Sacred Family is undoubtedly one of those rare iconic structures of any city in the world that is unfinished and therefore much misunderstood.
It is not a cathedral but was intended to be a temple where Catalans would converge to do penance for the sins of “modernity”.
Construction began as early as 1882 with Gaudi working on the project over 40 years until his untimely death in 1926.
It is a work of immense proportions which is based on the use of innovative geometric shapes of naturalist style and the current architects continue to construct this masterpiece on this basis.
Eight of the 12 bell towers of the facade, dedicated to the Apostles, are already built with four of the remaining belfries awaiting construction.
The contrasting styles of the impressive sculptures that greet the visitors on the front and back of this Temple are testament to the progressive nature of this construction.
Go early and join the bee line to ascend to the bridge that links the towers and marvel at the breathtaking view of Barcelona from the top as well as a close up of the colourful tiled pillar with the cross that divides the towers.
Parc Guell, an outdoor park, is another impressive work of art and architecture from Antoni Gaudi that started in 1922.
Originally intended to be a suburban housing project, it was converted into a municipal park that is full of imaginative and whimsical mosaic tile work on swirling serpentine seats and a dragon that dominates the staircase leading to the Hundred Pillar hall (designed for a market place).
Only two houses were built, one of them being the project’s show house in which Gaudi lived from 1920 to 1926.
It’s open to the public as a museum containing Gaudi’s unique possessions and inspirations and is worth a visit, if time permits.
New Straits Times
Travel: A Barcelona Sojourn
Posted on: July 26, 2008
- In: Barcelona | Gremio
- Leave a Comment
A bird’s eye view of the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Barcelona teems with Gothic history, art and architecture. CHEONG PHIN tries to take it all in within a day.
The charming Placa Reial characterised by palm trees and Las Tres Gracias fountain.
The colourful mosaic art of Miro splashed on the famous boulevard of Las Ramblas.
BARCELONA is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous community of the kingdom of Spain that borders France to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east.
In 1992, it hosted the Olympic Games and emerged as one of the most popular tourists’ destinations in Europe.
The famous Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza describes it as “a city that is constantly reinventing itself”.
Its strategic position as a gateway to Europe, which has long exposed it to challenging foreign viewpoints, cuisines and trends, served to facilitate and shape the changes.
Today, this vibrant coastal city is a favourite port of call of cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean and like many of the cruising holiday makers, I flew into Barcelona a day before embarking on my Med Cruise to see as much of this beautiful city teeming over with Gothic history, art and architecture.
The 1,500 years of the city’s existence has proudly produced Spain’s most notable artists like Picasso, Miro, Dali and Antoni Gaudi.
Fortunately, Barcelona is a place which is easy to explore on your own. The easy-to-use subway system (the Metro) and the yellow taxis are reliable and not too expensive but I discovered that walking is probably the best way to appreciate this wondrous city in spite of my limited sight-seeing time.
LAS RAMBLAS
Las Ramblas is a 1.2km walkway that runs through the heart of the historical part of Barcelona.
Here you will see all sorts of shops and vendors selling flowers, souvenirs and pets; sidewalk cafes, restaurants, bars and street performers along with the thousands of tourists and the Catalan people of Barcelona promenading up and down the boulevard till the early hours of the morning.
Stretching from the bustling Placa de Catalunya in the north to the Monument a Colom by the seafront in the south, this lively avenue is home to plenty of hotels and is a recommended area to stay if you are setting sail on a Med Cruise because the port of embarkation is only a short distance away.
It is also an ideal place to kickstart your tour of this Catalan city as Las Ramblas enroute leads to many important streets and squares of great interest and historical significance.
BARI GOTIC
Not far from the Placa de Catalunya on the right is the Barri Gotic area, also known as the Gothic Quarter.
This is where the old town of Barcelona originated and here you can still find narrow cobbled streets and ancient tall buildings that have changed little since their golden age of prosperity from 13th to 15th centuries.
Pablo Picasso lived and worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904 and Joan Mir″ was born and raised here in his younger days.
A great place to wander around and step back in time as you discover boutiques, antique shops, restaurants, tapas bars and some of the city’s oldest monuments along the narrow alleys or hidden corners in this labyrinth.
For a traditional Catalonian meal, try to get a table at Los Caracoles, a popular restaurant on Escudellers Street that has already attracted world-famous personalities regularly for many years as proven by the pictures that grace the wall leading to the upper dining floor.
PLA A REIAL
Otherwise, you can rest your tired feet from the walking with a cold beer and a tapas lunch at one of the entrance and a stick of umbrella that serves to remind us of the building’s history as an umbrella shop in its older days.
Splashed in front of this interesting building on the Ramblas is the colourful mosaic of paving stones created by Spanish artist Joan Mir″ in the 1970s.
many cafes and restaurants in the nearby Placa Reial and watch the Catalan life go by.
This traditional public square was erected in mid 19th century over a former convent of Capuchin and is characterised by beautiful arches, palm trees, street lamps shaped like trees by a young Antoni Gaudi and Las Tres Gracias fountain that sits in the middle of this charming space.
On Sundays, there is the weekend flea market selling all sorts of things from books and stamp collections to old coins.
A hive of activity flourishes at night with plenty of restaurants and chill-out bars for the partying crowd to congregate before heading to the dance clubs in the neighbourhood later.
GRAN TEATRE del LICEU and other building facades
The avenue of Las Ramblas is also home to one of the finest opera houses in Europe, the Gran Teatre del Liceu where several world famous Catalan opera singers such as Montserrat Caball and Jose Carreras have performed periodically.
Originally built in 1847, the auditorium and stage were tragically burnt down in 1994.
The new Liceu, inaugurated in 2000, fortunately kept the original facade and continued to expand its facilities.
Beautiful building facades are one of the highlights of Barcelona and there’s plenty along Las Ramblas.
One of the most interesting is the Casa Bruno Cuadros, a colourful building decorated with Japanese umbrellas and is now a bank.
An imposing dragon guards theGet there early in the morning if you want an uninterrupted view of the artwork before the day crowd trample over it.
PLA A del PI
A short walking distance towards the rear of the oriental flavoured building is Placa del Pi which is one of the best loved areas for artists and bohemians to gather during weekends at the arts and crafts fair.
Aptly named after a pine tree (pi) that grew in the square, the area is dominated by the 14th Century Gothic church of Santa Maria del Pi with its huge multi-coloured rose window facing the fascinating decorated walls of the house of Gremio de los Revendedores which dates back to 1685.
ANTONI GAUDI art and architecture
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to at least one of Antoni Gaudi’s works of art — particularly La Sagrada Familia (the temple), Casa Mila (the block of apartments), and Parc Guell (the outdoor park).
La Sagrada Familia or Temple of the Sacred Family is undoubtedly one of those rare iconic structures of any city in the world that is unfinished and therefore much misunderstood.
It is not a cathedral but was intended to be a temple where Catalans would converge to do penance for the sins of “modernity”.
Construction began as early as 1882 with Gaudi working on the project over 40 years until his untimely death in 1926.
It is a work of immense proportions which is based on the use of innovative geometric shapes of naturalist style and the current architects continue to construct this masterpiece on this basis.
Eight of the 12 bell towers of the facade, dedicated to the Apostles, are already built with four of the remaining belfries awaiting construction.
The contrasting styles of the impressive sculptures that greet the visitors on the front and back of this Temple are testament to the progressive nature of this construction.
Go early and join the bee line to ascend to the bridge that links the towers and marvel at the breathtaking view of Barcelona from the top as well as a close up of the colourful tiled pillar with the cross that divides the towers.
Parc Guell, an outdoor park, is another impressive work of art and architecture from Antoni Gaudi that started in 1922.
Originally intended to be a suburban housing project, it was converted into a municipal park that is full of imaginative and whimsical mosaic tile work on swirling serpentine seats and a dragon that dominates the staircase leading to the Hundred Pillar hall (designed for a market place).
Only two houses were built, one of them being the project’s show house in which Gaudi lived from 1920 to 1926.
It’s open to the public as a museum containing Gaudi’s unique possessions and inspirations and is worth a visit, if time permits.
New Straits Times
- In: Gremio | Palmeiras
- Leave a Comment
LONDON : Luiz Felipe Scolari’s appointment as the new manager of Chelsea was given widespread support on Thursday, although the Brazilian World Cup winner has yet to fully satisfy some of his detractors.
Chelsea stole the football spotlight from the Euro 2008 late Wednesday when they announced, to general surprise, that Scolari would replace the sacked Avram Grant after the European Championships.
The 59-year-old Scolari was a big favourite to replace Grant as manager of the English Premier League high-flyers although the timing of the announcement – Scolari saw his Portugal side qualify for the quarter-finals of the Euro on Wednesday – appeared bizarre.
Scolari, considered a no-nonsense coach with a reputation for rigour and discipline, won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and was coach of Portugal when they were beaten finalists in the Euro 2004.
Among the first to welcome Scolari to Stamford Bridge was Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
“He is a manager with great charisma, great experience, great results, I look forward to working with him,” the Czech national goalkeeper said in an interview published on the national federation’s website on Thursday.
“I hope that his (past) results are confirmed with us at Chelsea.”
Scolari’s first competitive game as Chelsea manager will be the first Premier League match of the 2008-09 season on the weekend of 16-17 August.
One of England’s biggest football pundits, former Scotland international Alan Hansen, believes the man known as ‘Big Phil’ will get the best out of Chelsea’s squad of highly-paid stars.
Hansen added: “If you’re going into that dressing room you’ve got to have one, a presence – he’s got that – and two, a great track record, and he’s got that as well.
“He’s got the right credentials and he’s done fantastically well with Portugal. The big players will find you out in a minute and a half, so it’s a great choice.”
Going on past results, Scolari has few black marks on his curriculum vitae, if not for the fact he has not coached at club level since his spell with Cruzeiro in 2000-01.
Scolari has no experience of European club football, but in a rich career spent mainly in South America he has won two Copa Libertadores – the equivalent of the Champions League – in 1995 with Gremio Porto Alegre and in 1999 with Palmeiras.
Grant led Chelsea to the final of the Champions League in 2008 only for the Blues to lose out to Manchester United.
It seems Chelsea’s relentless bid to become European champions has moved up a notch, with some newspapers claiming Scolari – despite Chelsea’s massive debts – will be given 100 million pounds to spend on talent.
However there are some who question just how Scolari, whose English is said to be basic, will be communicating with his players.
Former Chelsea player Gavin Peacock welcomed Scolari to the club, but told BBC Sport: “My only question mark would be about his level of English. Does he speak it?”
“Someone like the England manager Fabio Capello didn’t speak it but he had time to learn and he has time between each England gathering, but Scolari will need to get his ideas across every day. It will be a challenge.”
Thanks to Mourinho there is a Portuguese influence at the club, allowing Scolari, if need be, to count on the likes of defender Ricardo Carvalho to help get his ideas across in Portuguese.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, meanwhile, put another slant on the move by speculating on how Scolari’s appointment might affect Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision whether to stay at Manchester United.
The Portugal winger, who has been heavily linked with Real Madrid, is said to regard Scolari as a mentor.
Shearer told the BBC: “The interesting thing for me now is does Cristiano Ronaldo go to him for advice on where he should go?
“Does he stay in England or go to Spain? I know what Scolari’s advice to him might be now!”
– AFP/vm
Channel News Asia
Scolari Pengurus Baru Chelsea
Posted on: June 13, 2008
LONDON – Gergasi bola sepak Liga Perdana England, Chelsea semalam mengesahkan Luiz Felipe Scolari (gambar) sebagai pengurus baru mereka musim depan.
Meskipun berdepan masalah bahasa, namun kedatangan jurulatih kelahiran Brazil itu ke Stamford Bridge tetap dialu-alukan banyak pihak.
Scolari ketika ini sedang membimbing skuad Portugal dalam kempen Euro 2008 dan semalam, pasukan itu menjadi negara pertama melayakkan diri ke suku akhir.
Scolari salah seorang daripada jurulatih terbaik di dunia dengan memiliki rekod hebat sebagai jurulatih kelab dan skuad kebangsaan.
“Beliau adalah pilihan yang tepat tetapi sebagai menghormati tugasnya bersama skuad Portugal di Euro 2008 ketika ini, kami tidak mahu mengulas lebih lanjut,” kata Chelsea dalam satu kenyataan, semalam.
Selasa lalu, Scolari ada memberi bayangan mengenai perpindahannya ke Chelsea dengan memberitahu media bahawa beliau tidak punya masalah untuk berpindah dari Lisbon ke London.
Kontraknya bersama pasukan kebangsaan Portugal berakhir pada 29 Jun ini, iaitu sejurus tamat Kejohanan Eropah.
Scolari pernah membawa Brazil merangkul Piala Dunia 2002, selain membimbing Portugal muncul naib juara Euro 2004.
Satu-satunya masalah yang bakal dihadapi jurulatih berusia 59 tahun apabila tiba di Stamford Bridge nanti pastinya masalah bahasa kerana beliau tidak boleh berbahasa Inggeris.
Begitupun, tidak ramai yang melihat perkara itu sebagai satu masalah besar, penjaga gol Chelsea, Petr Cech antara orang pertama mengalu-alukan kedatangan Scolari.
“Beliau seorang pengurus yang mempunyai karisma, punya pengalaman hebat dan memiliki rekod hebat. Saya cukup teruja untuk bekerja dengannya.
“Saya harap semua pencapaiannya yang lepas dapat dimanfaatkan bersama Chelsea,” kata Cech yang sedang beraksi di Euro 2008 bersama Republik Czech.
Perlawanan kompetitif pertama Scolari sebagai pengurus Chelsea adalah aksi Liga Perdana England musim 2008-09 yang dijadual bermula pada 16-17 Ogos.
Bekas pemain antarabangsa Scotland, Alan Hansen percaya, Scolari atau nama gelarannya ‘Big Phil’ adalah pilihan terbaik untuk membimbing Chelsea, yang dipenuhi pemain-pemain berbakat.
“Bila anda memasuki bilik persalinan, anda memerlukan seorang yang berkarisma, Luiz memiliki semua itu, malah beliau juga memiliki rekod yang hebat.
“Saya percaya beliau adalah pilihan yang tepat, seperti yang telah dilakukan ketika membimbing Portugal,” kata Hansen.
Scolari tidak mempunyai pengalaman membimbing kelab dalam kancah liga Eropah tetapi dia pernah menjadi jurulatih kelab di Amerika Selatan dan menjulang dua kejuaraan Copa Libertadores bersama Gremio Porto Alegre pada 1995 dan Palmeiras 1999.
Pelantikan Scolari memperlihatkan keseriusan Chelsea untuk memburu kejuaraan Eropah buat kali pertama, biarpun media meramalkan kelab itu mungkin terpaksa membelanjakan 100 juta pound untuk mendapatkan pemain baru.
Satu lagi persoalan yang timbul, bagaimana Scolari hendak berkomunikasi dengan pemainnya sedangkan beliau tidak mampu bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris.
“Jurulatih seperti Fabio Capello (pengurus England) juga tidak pandai berbahasa Inggeris, tetapi dia ada masa untuk belajar kerana jadual perlawanan pasukan kebangsaan tidak terlalu sibuk.
“Tetapi di Chelsea, perlawanan berlangsung setiap minggu. Saya tidak tahu bagaimana Scolari hendak berkomunikasi dengan pemainnya, tetapi ia harus dianggap sebagai satu cabaran,” kata bekas pemain Chelsea, Gavin Peacock. – AFP
Utusan Malaysia
- In: Chelsea | Cristiano Ronaldo | Euro 2008 | Gremio | Manchester United | Palmeiras | Porto | Real Madrid
- Leave a Comment
LONDON : Luiz Felipe Scolari’s appointment as the new manager of Chelsea was given widespread support on Thursday, although the Brazilian World Cup winner has yet to fully satisfy some of his detractors.
Chelsea stole the football spotlight from the Euro 2008 late Wednesday when they announced, to general surprise, that Scolari would replace the sacked Avram Grant after the European Championships.
The 59-year-old Scolari was a big favourite to replace Grant as manager of the English Premier League high-flyers although the timing of the announcement – Scolari saw his Portugal side qualify for the quarter-finals of the Euro on Wednesday – appeared bizarre.
Scolari, considered a no-nonsense coach with a reputation for rigour and discipline, won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and was coach of Portugal when they were beaten finalists in the Euro 2004.
Among the first to welcome Scolari to Stamford Bridge was Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
“He is a manager with great charisma, great experience, great results, I look forward to working with him,” the Czech national goalkeeper said in an interview published on the national federation’s website on Thursday.
“I hope that his (past) results are confirmed with us at Chelsea.”
Scolari’s first competitive game as Chelsea manager will be the first Premier League match of the 2008-09 season on the weekend of 16-17 August.
One of England’s biggest football pundits, former Scotland international Alan Hansen, believes the man known as ‘Big Phil’ will get the best out of Chelsea’s squad of highly-paid stars.
Hansen added: “If you’re going into that dressing room you’ve got to have one, a presence – he’s got that – and two, a great track record, and he’s got that as well.
“He’s got the right credentials and he’s done fantastically well with Portugal. The big players will find you out in a minute and a half, so it’s a great choice.”
Going on past results, Scolari has few black marks on his curriculum vitae, if not for the fact he has not coached at club level since his spell with Cruzeiro in 2000-01.
Scolari has no experience of European club football, but in a rich career spent mainly in South America he has won two Copa Libertadores – the equivalent of the Champions League – in 1995 with Gremio Porto Alegre and in 1999 with Palmeiras.
Grant led Chelsea to the final of the Champions League in 2008 only for the Blues to lose out to Manchester United.
It seems Chelsea’s relentless bid to become European champions has moved up a notch, with some newspapers claiming Scolari – despite Chelsea’s massive debts – will be given 100 million pounds to spend on talent.
However there are some who question just how Scolari, whose English is said to be basic, will be communicating with his players.
Former Chelsea player Gavin Peacock welcomed Scolari to the club, but told BBC Sport: “My only question mark would be about his level of English. Does he speak it?”
“Someone like the England manager Fabio Capello didn’t speak it but he had time to learn and he has time between each England gathering, but Scolari will need to get his ideas across every day. It will be a challenge.”
Thanks to Mourinho there is a Portuguese influence at the club, allowing Scolari, if need be, to count on the likes of defender Ricardo Carvalho to help get his ideas across in Portuguese.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, meanwhile, put another slant on the move by speculating on how Scolari’s appointment might affect Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision whether to stay at Manchester United.
The Portugal winger, who has been heavily linked with Real Madrid, is said to regard Scolari as a mentor.
Shearer told the BBC: “The interesting thing for me now is does Cristiano Ronaldo go to him for advice on where he should go?
“Does he stay in England or go to Spain? I know what Scolari’s advice to him might be now!”
– AFP/vm
Channel News Asia
Penyu Uji Pemain Brazil
Posted on: May 19, 2008
KUALA TERENGGANU – Terengganu akan menguji dua pemain import dari Brazil dalam usaha memantapkan prestasi skuad Penyu menghadapi saingan Piala Malaysia musim ini.
Mereka ialah Cleiton Silva de Aliveira, 26, yang akan tiba di sini pada 23 Mei ini dan Bill Faria Alesandro, 26, yang dijangka tiba dalam masa terdekat.
Pengurus pasukan, Sheikh Tajuddin Sheikh Yusof berkata, Cleiton Silva adalah bekas pemain kelab Flamingo Brazil dan beraksi di bahagian serangan.
“Manakala Bill Faria pula ialah bekas pemain Kelab Gremio Bage,” katanya di sini, semalam.
Menurut beliau, pemain import Terengganu, Fabio Flor yang kini sedang bercuti di Brazil diberikan tanggungjawab bagi mencari pemain berkenaan.
Katanya, mereka bakal menggantikan Gliesson Preire yang digugurkan selepas gagal mempamerkan aksi cemerlang bersama skuad Terengganu.
Menurut Sheikh Tajuddin, pihaknya terpaksa mengambil pemain import baru sebagai persediaan menghadapi saingan Piala Malaysia tidak lama lagi.
Powered by Utusan Malaysia
- In: Gremio | Sevilla | Werder Bremen
- Leave a Comment
SAO PAULO, Brazil – Pengurus Dunga menyisihkan Ronaldinho daripada skuad Brazil yang akan bertemu Sweden dalam satu perlawanan bola sepak persahabatan bulan depan sebaliknya memilih beberapa pemain muda untuk menyertai Sukan Olimpik Beijing.
Brazil akan menentang Sweden di Stadium Emirates di London pada 26 Mac yang menandakan ulang tahun ke-50 perlawanan akhir Piala Dunia antara dua negara pada 1958.
Kaka dari AC Milan dan Robinho dari Real Madrid tersenarai dalam pilihan Dunga begitu juga Diego dari Werder Bremen dan Luis Fabiano dari Sevilla.
Ronaldinho yang baru-baru ini bermasalah dengan Barcelona terlepas perlawanan persahabatan pertama Brazil menentang Ireland.
Bagaimanapun kata Dunga, Pemain Terbaik FIFA dua kali itu bakal kembali bagi perlawanan Brazil dengan Paraguay dan Argentina dalam pusingan kelayakan Piala Dunia Amerika Selatan pada pertengahan
“Dia sedang meraih semula prestasinya. Kami ada pusingan kelayakan yang penting dan saya berharap dia akan bersedia menghadapinya. Setiap pemain akan melalui detik yang sukar,” katanya.
Sepuluh pemain bawah 23 tahun yang dipanggil Dunga ialah: Diego Alves, Marcelo, Rafinha, Leo, Hernanes, Lucas, Diego, Thiago Neves, Robinho dan Alexandre Pato.
Pertahanan Gremio, Leo dan penjaga gol Almeria, Diego Alves dipanggil ke skuad kebangsaan buat kali pertama.
Brazil, juara Piala Dunia lima kali, tidak pernah memenangi pingat emas Olimpik. Setiap negara hanya dibenarkan menggunakan tiga pemain melebihi 23 tahun di Beijing, Ogos ini.
Dunga menjangka sukar mendapatkan pelepasan kelab utama Eropah untuk pemain terbaik mereka ke Olimpik.
“Kami tahu kami akan menghadapi masalah. Kami perlu bersabar dan menanganinya apabila masanya tepat,” katanya.
Biarpun memanggil beberapa pemain bawah 23, kata Dunga, tumpuan utama Brazil tetap Kelayakan Piala Dunia.
“Sudah tentu Olimpik penting. Namun bola sepak akhirnya berkaitan Piala Dunia. Perlawanan persahabatan ini adalah untuk pasukan utama,” kata Dunga yang meraih pingat perak di Los Angeles 1984.
Inilah perlawanan ketiga Brazil di gelanggang kelab Liga Perdana England, Arsenal di bawah pengurusan Dunga.
Ia menewaskan Argentina 3-0 pada 2006 dan kalah 2-0 kepada Portugal, awal tahun lalu.
Sweden dan Brazil telah bertemu 13 kali untuk menang lapan kali, tiga seri dan kalah dua kali. Brazil menewaskn Ireland 1-0 dalam perlawanan persahabatan 6 Februari di Ireland.
– AP
Utusan Malaysia
My Soccer World 