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Wednesday Football
02 April 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Rooney and Ronaldo scored as United beat Roma 2-0, yesterday.

FC Porto are facing the spectre of relegation after being accused of match-fixing. The 22-time Portuguese champions and club president Pinto da Costa are alleged to have influenced match officials ahead of at least two fixtures in the 2003-2004 season. If proven guilty, Porto could face penalties ranging from a three-point deduction to relegation Liga de Honra.



The club acknowledged the charges on its official website, yesterday, stating that it had been “notified of the accusations concerning matches between FC Porto and Estrala de Amadora and Beira Mar and FC Porto.” The reigning title-holders have four days to file their defense.



In 2005, Pinto faced three similar charges before being exonerated due to a lack of evidence. If convicted this time around, the 70-year-old could face a 10-year ban from football.

The coaching carousel continues to spin in Serie A. Catania parted ways with Silvio Baldini on Monday – replacing the 49-year-old with former international goalkeeper Walter Zenga. Previously in charge of eight sides ranging from New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade, and Romania’s Dinamo Bucharest, the former Inter Milan ‘keeper quit Dinamo in November after losing a derby match to archrivals Steaua Bucharest.

Empoli, meanwhile, have re-hired Luigi Cagni. The 57-year-old was originally sacked in November and replaced by Alberto Malesani. But when the struggling club’s fortunes did not improve under the former Fiorentina, Parma, and Udinese boss, he was released from his duties on Monday in favor of the returning Cagni.

Chelsea have been tipped to sign Carlos Palacio. The 24-year-old Boca Juniors striker is widely thought to be pondering a move to Europe and could command upwards of 6M-pounds on the open market. Arsenal were originally interested in him after the departure of Thierry Henry before opting for Croatia international Eduardo da Silva for similar money.



Palacio is seen as a poor man’s Carlos Tevez; and a contingent of Chelsea scouts were on hand to watch him feature in Boca’s 4-3 win over Colo Colo in the Copa Libertadores on Thursday.



“Friends like Carlos Tevez play in the Premier League,” stated Palacio in regards to the speculation. “It would be a fantastic challenge for me.”

Bernd Schuster is of the mind that Cristiano Ronaldo has usurped Kaka as the world’s best player. In speaking to reporters, yesterday, the Real Madrid manager remarked that the Manchester United winger “is a 10-out-of-10 – the best in the world. But,” he continued, “I don’t see Manchester United as being in the business of selling.” The 48-year-old had also been asked to speculate over the Portugal international’s future at Old Trafford.



“In a couple of years,” he said, “I think he may wear the white shirt of the Bernabeu. Some day he will be with us.”

Georgia has sacked international manager Klaus Toppmoeller. The move, said federation president Nodar Akhalkatsi, was “dictated by the extremely mediocre performance of the national side.” Akhalkatsi had been speaking with Interfax.



Toppmoeller, despite failing to take Georgia into the EURO 2008 finals, came into the job with impeccable credentials. Previously in charge of Bochum, Bayer Leverkusen, and Hamburg, the 56-year-old took Leverkusen to the Champions’ League final in 2002.

Paulo Maldini could be in Toon colors by the summertime. Having been notified that his services will not be required at AC Milan next season, the 39-year-old defender is mulling his options. Retirement remains a possibility; although it appears increasingly probable that the five-time Champions’ League winner will look for another club when the transfer window opens after the current European campaign. Kevin Keegan is of the opinion that Maldini’s experience would be of incredible benefit to his squad. The player, for his part, would be unlikely to join another Italian club after having been associated with the Rossoneri since 1984.

Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

Jerrad Peters is a football journalist based in Winnipeg, Canada. His weekly column for the Winnipeg Free Press is the largest of its kind in the country. A regular contributor to ESPN Soccernet, his work has also appeared on TheMirror.co.uk, Canadian-soccer.com, Footy247.co.uk, Foot2ball.com, and Squadinfo.com.