Adriano has Barca future, Juve interested

Brazilian left-back Adriano has made 41 league appearances for Barca since joining them from Sevilla in 2010, but the summer arrival of Jordi Alba from Valencia had put his future at the club in doubt.

A meeting with new Barca head coach Tito Vilanova has given the 27-year-old assurances that he has a future at the Camp Nou. However agent Paulo Affonso revealed that a move to Serie A champions Juventus was still an option.

Affonse told Marca: "Juventus is one of the biggest clubs at this time. They have won the Scudetto and will play the next edition of the Champions League.

"I have good relationships with the management, and they are interested in the player. I'm willing to talk."

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Anita 'tempted by Prem'

The agent of reported Newcastle target Vurnon Anita says the player is tempted over a move to the Premier League as he seeks talks with Ajax chiefs over his future.

The Holland international, who can play as a defensive midfielder or at left-back, helped Ajax to the Eredivisie title last season to catch the attention of the Magpies, while Aston Villa, Norwich and Sunderland are also thought to be interested.

Reports suggest Newcastle have already seen a £5million offer rejected by the Dutch club but could snare their man if they up the bid to £8m.

The 23-year-old has two years remaining on his deal in Amsterdam but will seek talks with the club's new sporting director Marc Overmars to gain clarity over his future.

He told the Sunday Mirror: "I've two years left on my contract. But I want some clarity from Ajax about my future.

"We have a meeting with Marc Overmars, the club's new sporting director, to get a clear view of what the club wants."

Serious interest

Anita's agent, Harry Lulofs, claims the player could be lured to the Premier League, adding: "There is serious interest from Newcastle.

"A move to the Premier League is so tempting for him. We have to resolve the situation quickly."

Ajax boss Frank De Boer insists he will fight to keep the Dutchman, who came through the youth ranks in Amsterdam.

He said: "We'll do all we can to try and keep Vurnon here. He's a very valuable player."

Beckenbauer hits back at Blatter

In an interview with Switzerland's Blick newspaper on Sunday, Blatter suggested the vote for the host of the 2006 World Cup had not run smoothly and he suspected malpractice. Blatter suggested the vote had been fixed to favour Germany over his own preference of South Africa.

However, Beckenbauer, who was head of the organising committee for that tournament, was unhappy with the comments.

"I cannot understand the remarks and suggestions of Sepp Blatter," he told Bild.

Germany eventually won the right to host the tournament by 12 votes to 11, with New Zealand's representative of the Oceania confederation abstaining.

"When we talk about a World Cup being bought, I remember back to 2006 where, at the very last moment, somebody left the room and, instead of having a vote of 10-10, it finished 10-9 for Germany," said Blatter.

"I am pleased because I did not have to cast a deciding vote but for somebody to suddenly leave the room - maybe I was too kind or too naive at the time."

When asked if he presumed the vote had been fixed, Blatter said: "I don't presume anything, I am stating facts."

But those facts, according to Beckenbauer, are flawed.

"He has even got the result wrong," he said. "It was 12-11 and not 10-9. And what was decisive was that the eight Europeans all united behind us and voted for us."

The president of Germany's Football League, Dr Reinhard Rauball, has called for Blatter to step down as a result of the ISL bribery scandal which has recently come to light, but Blatter has ruled that out.

He said: "The truth is, Rauball called me last Friday and told me that I should resign. I told him that it is not as easy as he imagines. The fact is, I have been elected by the congress."

Ajax plan raid on young Barcelona stars

Barcelona defender Marc Muniesa has been recommended to Ajax by Johan Cruyff, with the Dutch club also eyeing up moves for several of Barca's other young stars.

The man who enjoys legendary status at both clubs for his achievements with them as player and manager has advised Ajax's new sporting director Marc Overmars to sign versatile B team defender Muniesa, according to Spanish sports daily Marca.

The 20-year-old has only made four appearances for the first team since making his first in 2009, although he was named as an unused substitute for the Champions League final that year.

Overmars, who also played for both Ajax and Barca, is also weighing up making offers for attacking trio Isaac Cuenca, Cristian Tello and Gerard Deulofeu.

One of the first jobs of new Barcelona head coach Tito Vilanova is to decide which of the young prospects in the B team and on the fringes of the first-team squad he is to accommodate in the senior side.

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Van Basten to stay with club

Marco van Basten has ruled out a return to managing the Netherlands after Bert van Marwijk stepped down following a terrible Euro 2012.

Former Netherlands coach won't return to replace Van Marwijk. The Dutch were among the favorites for glory but made a mockery of their pre-tournament billing by being dumped out of the competition at the group stage without a single point.

Van Marwijk paid the price for their failure and now the race is on for Dutch football chiefs to find a replacement before they kick off their qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil this autumn.

Van Basten, who guided Dutch to the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup and the quarter-finals of the European Championship two years later in his four-year spell, has only just returned to the game after leaving Ajax in 2009.

The legendary striker announced he would return to football by succeeding Ron Jans as coach of Eredivisie side Heerenveen this summer and will not walk out on them after only a few weeks in charge.

"I am now in Heerenveen and I am very satisfied," he told AD Sportwereld. "Who should it be? Also I have not thought about that.

"I have my thing here in Heerenveen. For the rest I will not interfere anymore. "

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Pizarro: Bayern want to win everything

New Bayern Munich signing Claudio Pizarro has said he and his team-mates are aiming to win "everything" after two trophyless seasons for the Bavarians.

Pizarro, 33 - in his second spell at Bayern - vowed to help make up for the disappointment of last season, which saw Bayern finish as runners-up in the Bundesliga and lose the Champions League final to Chelsea on penalties.

The Peruvian became used to winning trophies during his first spell at the club, claiming three league and cup doubles and the FIFA Club World Cup.

"I want to win everything - everything that there is. That is the aim," he told Bayern's official website. "I have always said that Bayern is the best club I have ever been at."

And he said he was not afraid of the fierce competition for places up front at Bayern, where he is competing with strikers including Euro 2012 joint top scorers Mario Gomez and Mario Mandzukic.

"Competition for places is normal," he added. "You have that at every club. Back then [his first spell in 2001], there were five strikers, so it was much more difficult."

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Bayern keen on Javi Martinez

Bayern Munich's newly-appointed sporting director, Matthias Sammer, has confirmed the club's interest in Athletic Bilbao youngster Javi Martinez.

Martinez, 23, is highly-rated in his native Spain, having impressed for his club Athletic in midfield and also at centre-back.

Bayern have been linked with making a summer swoop for the Spain international, although the Bundesliga side have stressed they will not pay over the odds for his signature, with an asking price of €40 million mooted.

"I know Javi Martinez pretty well as a player, but I intend to get to know him really well. The people at Bayern who have been monitoring him are of the opinion that he is very good. Let's just wait and see what happens," Sammer was quoted as saying by TZ.

"He has a lot of quality, but quality comes at a price. That's why he is quite expensive. One can always make some crazy signings, but nothing unreasonable. We have a certain responsibility toward the club."

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Xavi's father reveals Spain tensions

Xavi Hernandez's father has claimed Iker Casillas had problems with Jose Mourinho because of his friendship with the Barcelona midfielder.

Ahead of Euro 2012, rumours had been rife over strained relationships in the Spain camp due to the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, and at one stage Vicente del Bosque openly acknowledged that there were issues between Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos.

Xavi's father has now revealed that the problems in the national camp were serious, and that Spain were able to successfully defend their European Championship crown was down to the diplomatic efforts of Casillas and Xavi.

Mourinho had said in March that he had "no problems" with Casillas as speculation of a fall-out raged, but Joaquin Hernandez told COM Radio: "Iker had many problems with Mourinho because Xavi and Iker didn't want to end their friendship. The problems came to light and everyone knows about it.

"Had it not been for Iker Casillas, Xavi and Del Bosque, the national team would never have achieved what they have. It has been very complicated at times because of the Clasicos.

"Friendships between players were about to end. There were rows. There were issues with Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos and how they behaved towards their team-mates. The behavior of some players was inappropriate. Luckily, Iker and Xavi intervened."

Hernandez also responded to the suggestions his son had looked tired during Euro 2012.

"Xavi has played 81 games this season," he said. "It's a brutal schedule, and involves travelling all around the world, but he was fine. It's said that he wasn't in a good state physically, but that's not true."

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FA - Goal-line technology given go-ahead

International football's FA board (IFAB) has unanimously approved the use of goal-line technology after months of exhaustive tests were carried out on two systems - Hawk-Eye and GoalRef.

The Premier League reacted to the historic decision in Zurich by vowing to implement the technology "as soon as practically possible''. However, the introduction will not be immediate because each system will have to be licensed, installed and tested in each venue to ensure it is functioning properly.

"The Premier League has been a long term advocate of goal-line technology,'' read a statement from the organisation. "We welcome today's decision by IFAB and will engage in discussions with both Hawkeye and GoalRef in the near future with a view to introducing goal-line technology as soon as is practically possible .'"

The technology could be ready to go in the English top-flight as soon as the new year and FA general secretary Alex Horne said it could also be used for the latter stages of the FA Cup, as one of the goal-line technology systems is already installed at Wembley Stadium.

"It is perfectly possible to introduce it halfway through the season," Horne said. "We have already got Hawk-Eye at Wembley, it needs to be calibrated and make sure it's working properly and licensed so we are nearly there and we could turn Hawk-Eye on quite quickly.

"The FA Cup would be our decision and we could say for the semi-finals and finals of the FA Cup we could turn it on, I don't think that is a very controversial decision."

Meanwhile, FIFA intends to put Hawk-Eye and GoalRef to the test at the Club World Cup in Tokyo in 2013, with a view to using it at next year's Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said world football's governing body would pay for the systems - around £160,000 per Stadium - and leave them in place in the stadiums used during all three tournaments.

Momentum towards goal-line technology has increased since Frank Lampard was denied an equaliser for England against Germany in the 2010 World Cup when the ball hit the bar and bounced over the line but no goal was given.

That incident caused the FIFA president Sepp Blatter to publicly back technology for the first time, and the issue hit the headlines again when Ukraine were denied a goal when the ball crossed the line against England in Euro 2012.

Blatter said: "For me as FIFA president it became evident the moment what happened in South Africa in 2010. I have to say 'thank you Lampard'. I was completely down in South Africa when I saw that it really shocked me, it took me a day to react. It happened again in Ukraine, and Ukraine can still not believe it now.''

There will be no move towards bringing in other technology, such as video replays to judge offsides for example, said IFAB in a statement.

"This approval is subject to a final installation test at each stadium before the systems can be used in 'real' football matches,'' said the statement. "The IFAB was keen to stress that technology will only be utilised for the goal-line and for no other areas of the game.''

Tests on the Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems were carried out by the Swiss Federal Laboratory for Materials Science and Technology, with the results evaluated by IFAB members at a meeting earlier this month.

Hawk-Eye, developed by a British company, is based on cameras, while GoalRef, a Danish-German development, uses magnetic fields.

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Park set for QPR switch - report

Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung is set to complete a £5 million switch to Queens Park Rangers reports suggest, although figures vary.

Park, 31, played a reduced role for Manchester United last season, but has been an influential figure in the club's recent history, often being called upon on the biggest occasions.

Formerly captain of South Korea, Park joined the Red Devils for £4 million in 2005 from PSV Eindhoven and has gone on to make 205 first-team appearances for the Old Trafford side.

QPR have announced that a press conference for local and international media will take place on Monday, with chairman Tony Fernandes, vice-chairman Amit Bhatia and manager Mark Hughes all set to attend. The announcement will reportedly "put the QPR brand on a global scale".

The press conference could be related to the club's ongoing look for a new stadium, although reports on Friday morning also suggested that the club were closing in on a South Korean signing.

"The announcement will put the QPR brand on a global scale and is further demonstration of the board's continuing efforts to move the club forward and become established in the Premier League," the release to the media said.

"QPR chairman Tony Fernandes, vice-chairman Amit Bhatia, manager Mark Hughes and CEO Philip Beard will all be in attendance. Please note, the club is in no position to make any further comment on the announcement of this press conference."

Should he sign, Park would become the fifth player to arrive at Loftus Road this summer - following the captures of Robert Green, Andy Johnson, Ryan Nelsen and the permanent signing of midfielder Samba Diakite.

Chairman Fernandes is also heavily involved in the club's search for a new stadium, updating the fans on progress via Twitter early on Friday.

"Excellent stadium meeting," Fernandes said. "Looks great. Going to make big announcement. Hopefully see Amit [Bhatia] in a few hours to brief him. Wow.

"Stadium will be in west London. Will not lose overall atmosphere. Lots to do and many pitfalls but great first step."

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AC Milan open talks with ex-Barcelona coach Guardiola

From tribalfootball.com – News Update from Seri A

AC Milan are being linked with former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

AS says the Rossoneri recently held talks with Guardiola’s own entourage to try to work out a way that the two parties could work together in the future.

Guardiola is currently taking a sabbatical from the game, after four years in charge of Barcelona, in which time he won 14 major trophies

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Future News: Portugal’s plane leaves before Cristiano Ronaldo can board

From Yahoo! Sport - Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to spent a few extra hours in Ukraine after missing Portugal's flight home. The team's captain and leading scorer, who earlier missed the chance to take a penalty in Portugal's Euro 2012 semifinal shootout loss when Spain won before his turn in the order, was left shaking his head and pulling up the legs of his shorts as he watched the plane fly off without him.

"It was just a question of me speaking with the travel planner," said a clearly distraught Ronaldo. "She said to me, 'Do you want to sit in the fifth zone -- in the back of the plane?' and I said 'yes.' Sometimes I sit in the first, the second or the third. I agreed to take the fifth. And then I went to get a Cinnabon and the plane took off without me. It's an injustice. And that Cinnabon gave me indigestion."

Though Portugal manager Paulo Bento realized the mistake only after landing in Lisbon, the plane's captain, Ted Mendes, wasn't upset about the mix-up.

Said Mendes: "If he [Ronaldo] wanted to be sure he was on the plane, he should have boarded sooner. Maybe if he did, he would've sat next to the emergency exit and Bruno Alves wouldn't haven't knocked the door open mid-flight. But then again, maybe not. I'm not a psychic, I'm just a pilot. And a strip club DJ on the weekends."

Ronaldo did eventually catch another flight home and in the end, he said he had only one regret: "Seriously, that Cinnabon was a mistake."

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Echoes of 2006: Another Germany-Italy semifinal

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) -- It seems like 2006 all over again.

Just like in the World Cup semifinals six years ago, Germany is the favorite entering Thursday's European Championship game against a surprising Italy squad that is building momentum and maintaining focus despite a match-fixing scandal.

Both teams like to attack constantly, setting up a tantalizing matchup in Warsaw.

''At this point, the squads that win are the ones that advance their defensive lines and that have the courage to attack,'' Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. ''Some of these guys are just starting to realize the extraordinary things they're capable of.''

Adding to the luster is that Italy-Germany matches have often produced the extraordinary - and Italy has always come out on top at major tournaments.

The 4-3 Italy win in the 1970 semifinals in Mexico City is still remembered as one of the greatest World Cup matches, and Italy's 2-0 victory in extra time six years ago in Germany is also part of Azzurri lore.

Veteran Germany forward Miroslav Klose, who just concluded his first season with the Italian club Lazio, attributed his country's troubles in the series to tenseness before big matches.

''The Italians are more easygoing about things,'' Klose said. ''It could be a small advantage for them ahead of such a match.''

In 2006, Italy was also involved in a match-fixing scandal much like the betting problems affecting the squad today. Beating host Germany in the cauldron that is the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund seemed like an impossible task.

''We've improved enormously since 2006,'' said Lukas Podolski, another veteran Germany striker. ''We have a completely different philosophy and a different team. The Italians know this, too.''

Like most modern squads, Germany now attacks in every way, either through 22-year-old winger Thomas Mueller, who led the 2010 World Cup with five goals, counterpart Podolski, playmaker Mesut Oezil or center forwards Mario Gomez and Klose.

Gomez is tied for the tournament lead with three goals.

Of the four semifinalists, Germany is the only squad with a perfect record, having cruised through a group featuring the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark, then easily pushing aside Greece 4-2 in the quarterfinals.

Germany coach Joachim Loew has used both Gomez and Klose as his lone striker, relying on Gomez in the group stage but then going with Klose against Greece. In that match, he changed his entire forward line, with Marco Reus and Andre Schuerrle playing for Mueller and Podolski on the flanks.

''Italy is a completely different caliber than Greece,'' Loew said. ''We may make one or two changes.''

The Azzurri are coming off a draining shootout victory over England and have two fewer days than Germany to prepare for the semifinal.

''We don't have many days to get our energy back,'' Prandelli said. ''It's going to take a lot to beat them, but if we prepare for the match well there are no unbeatable squads.''

Prandelli also has changed his lineup over the last couple matches, with Mario Balotelli and Antonio Di Natale alternating alongside Antonio Cassano in attack.

Di Natale came off the bench and scored Italy's first goal of the tournament against Spain. He started the final group game against Ireland, while Balotelli played all 120 minutes against England and Di Natale never left the bench.

Whoever plays, expect the type of attacking soccer Italy displayed against England, when the Azzurri produced 35 attempts on goal to England's nine, and 20 shots on target to the Three Lions' miserable four.

However, Italy failed to score against England, with Balotelli in particular unable to take advantage of numerous chances.

''We've got to play our match and we've got to take risks, otherwise we're going to allow a goal sooner or later,'' Prandelli said. ''I would prefer allowing a goal in a counterattack than waiting and suffering for 20 minutes.''

Italy's top defender Giorgio Chiellini and key midfielder Daniele De Rossi are battling injuries. The Azzurri also have a problem at right back, with Ignazio Abate struggling with a muscle problem.

''They did not look to me like they were running out of power,'' Loew said. ''Four days should be enough rest for any professional.''

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AP Sports Writer Nesha Starcevic in Gdansk contributed to this report.