Seems Jurgen Klinsmann was thisclose to being named the new USA head coach not once, but twice in the last four years. The California based ex-Germany manager was favourite to succeed Bruce Arena after the 2006 World Cup, until Bob Bradley was announced as interim and then perma-coach. Same thing just last month, with what appeared to be a majority of fans and media expecting Klinsmann to succeed Bob Bradley. But then US Soccer announced that Bradley’s successor was in fact… Bob Bradley, and we were left wondering exactly what had happened with Jürgen Klinsmann and US Soccer.
Well, now we know what happened. Or at least what Jürgen Klinsmann says happened. Because he recently recounted his talks with US Soccer during (of all places) a Kansas City Wizards pre-game show:
"We had conversations, maybe about three or four weeks period of time, and very positive conversations. But we didn't get it to a positive ending because we couldn't put into writing what we agreed to verbally," Klinsmann said during an interview broadcast Sunday on the Kansas City Wizards' pregame show.
"It's obviously always about authority. When you have conversations with a club team or a national team, it's who has the last word in what issues, and that's where we couldn't get into the written terms," Klinsmann said.
"Verbally we agreed on that the technical side is my side, and I should have a 100 percent control of it. Written terms, they couldn't commit to it. At that point I said, `Well then, I can't get the job done because I have to have the last say as a head coach for my entire staff, for all the players issues, for everything that happens with the team.' Unfortunately they couldn't commit to that, and that was basically the end of our talks, and then they agreed then to continue with Bob as the head coach, and that's totally fine."
Klinsmann also held talks with USSF president Sunil Gulati in 2006 but ended them when he wasn't guaranteed access to top Major League Soccer players for both the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa America the following year.
If I were asked to précis Klinsmann’s version of events, I’d say Klinsmann wanted total control of the national team, but US Soccer weren’t willing to give it up, and so Bob Bradley kept his job. World War II veterans might feel differently, but I suspect there are plenty of US fans out there who would have been happy for US Soccer to surrender total control of the national team to the national team coach.
As it’s Monday morning, you probably spent to weekend watching some of the world’s best athletes doing what they do best. Yet there’s a little bit of slacked jaw in this documentary about the England Blind World Cup team and their ability to do what is often the same, but lacking that one gift. Particularly #9, who might just get a call from Fabio shortly.
The BWC actually took place last month in England, and though there are glaring fundamental differences in the sport, some things just never change when it comes to football: Brazil won, beating Spain and nullifying their attempt at a monopoly in both sighted and non-sighted football, and England went out in the quarters.
Rumor has it Marcel Desailly has put his hat in the ring to succeed Milovan Rajevac as the Black Stars coach. If you remember, Rajevac left the Ghana post to coach Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia after leading them to the quarters of the World Cup this summer in South Africa. The Ghana Association has reported receiving 50 CVs for the position and Desailly’s lack of experience has raised some eyebrows. So what could Ghana expect from Desailly should they pick him out of the bunch (other than fantastic sideline reactions like the one above)?
He will expect discipline and loyalty from his players – especially his captain. After the France team boycotted training at the 2010 World Cup, allegedly at the urging of its captain (Evra), Desailly commented that he thought Evra should be held primarily responsible as the designated leader of the team….
And I think that Evra, who is the origin of the strike, should pay too.
The captain made a mistake and he has to bear the consequences of his actions.
He decided not to train, before realizing his mistake and apologizing. But he deserves at least a temporary suspension.
He is an excellent player, our best left-back, but he should be suspended for two months, because the captain is the first one to be an example.
His behavior affected the image of France throughout the world.
He will announce his Starting XI to the team before the day of the game. While commenting on the state of the England team this summer, he revealed he thought Capello was unfair to name his team only 2 hours before the match. He should know how it feels – he played under Capello at Milan in the 1990s. Considering the success he reaped under Capello’s system – one might wonder if Desailly changes his tune when he’s the one responsible for the picking the team.
He has no patience for sex-scandal plagued stars who can’t maintain their performances on the field. Last season, when John Terry became embroiled in a series of scandals, Desailly made the following comments…
He [Terry] has no credibility whatsoever within the club and this is being felt. No one is following him. Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and the others who knew Wayne Bridge no longer allow him to be the leader.
He will always be optimistic. Before the 2010 World Cup, Desailly predicted the France National Team would prove all their critics wrong, saying there is no need for pessimism…“
There’s no reason for pessimism. Things are going to work out fine. I think this generation is even more talented than ours was. They just haven?t had the chance to show it yet.
I think they have a big future. They seem to have a lot of belief and now we’ll see what they can do. They’ve taken a lot of criticism lately but they can put all that behind them by starting off with a good win.
Now, if you know anything about the build-up to France’s 2010 trip to South Africa- you also probably know that the explosion that happened there off the field was almost as predictable as their failure on the field. Therefore, I can only assume that he is an eternal optimist. Except when it involves John Terry (see no patience for sex-scandal plagued stars above). Plus his time being a pundit on ITV this summer makes me think he might just be an exceptionally happy individual (see his “happy dance” in the video below).
In future? I will come in [to coach], for sure, probably national team and not as an every day coaching clubs. The exposure is too much every day – today you are the man, the next day you are nothing. I can handle the pressure, but I don’t want to get back to that sort of pressure.
Jose Mourinho wants to take charge of the Portuguese national team. Temporarily anyway. The Portugal team has been managerless since firing Carlos Queiroz on September 9th, and are desperately in need of someone to take over for the two Euro 2012 qualifying games vs. Denmark and Iceland in October. And apparently Mourinho is their man.
The small problem is that Mourinho already has a job. He’s the coach of Real Madrid, which is a role assume requires a fair number of man hours. And I’m sure Madrid have it in their power to tell Mourinho to focus on his work at the Bernabeu. So now it all depends on getting Madrid’s approval.
“If there was an agreement with Real, I would work for the national team for zero euros. Prestige and money are not in short supply for me, thanks God. The only positive thing would be the feeling of pride at being in charge of the Portuguese national team,” said Mourinho.
Seems odd to appoint a short term coach to a big job like Portugal, but this is a team in crisis. Former coach Carlos Queiroz was first banned for six months for intimidating an anti-doping agent, and then the team began Euro 2012 by drawing 4-4 with Cyprus and losing 1-0 to Norway.
Mourinho’s made it clear this would be a part time gig – “my help would be limited” – but I for one am hoping Real give this the thumbs up, because I’m very interested to see how The Special One handles international management, if only for a couple of weeks. Plus, if Real Madrid somehow lose their man to international football then no worries. Big Sam Allardyce is ready to step in and win the double every season.
Are you asking yourself if this unnamed female is a brilliant player or a cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater? If so, the answer is both. Her name’s Ramona Bachmann, she’s Swiss and she scored a brilliant goal in a World Cup qualifying playoff (goal after the jump) to bring her team back into the game (somewhat – a 2-0 first leg mountain needed to be erased). But after all this good, she just sort of grabbed her face and threw herself to the ground in the goal mouth, in brilliant Rivaldo style, full with kicking legs for added emphasis.
And upon really thinking about it, has anyone pulled off the two-faced Rivaldo in one play before? Probably, but this is really as good as it gets.
The keeper was, of course, sent off for ‘hair pulling’ when she was only guilty of standing inside her own net. Something like being arrested for breaking and entering inside your own house after entering with the key.
Fortunately ‘cheaters never prosper’ came good, and England still ran out 5-2 winners on aggregate.
As Ukraine cleans out stray animals, Rio de Janiero is doing the same with hooligans ahead of the 2014 World Cup, as well as the Olympics four years later. Whether or not they’ll get the same rumored treatment – lethal injection – we don’t know. But we can be assured that somehow, the Klitschko brothers will be involved here too.
The movement to dust up Rio has been dubbed Operation Hooligan, which sounds like it could spawn a Grand Theft Auto spin-off in the future. EA Sports just found another way to make a buck off a major tournament.
Rio police arrested 13 suspected soccer hooligans on Wednesday at the start of a campaign to eradicate fan violence from the game before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
An English-named “Operation Hooligans” was launched involving 160 officers in Rio and neighbouring towns seeking 19 suspects accused of homicide, carrying illegal weapons and forming gangs, a police chief said.
“The police will act in a very firm way from now on, until the big events that will be held in Rio de Janeiro, to fight these outcasts infiltrated into organised groups of fans,” Allan Turnowski, chief of Rio’s police force, told reporters.
This may be overlooking the point, but is a World Cup really necessary in order to crack down on murderers and gangs?
Anyway, it’s a step, and a step with an excellent name; so hopefully they’ll finally nab the duo responsible for the greatest crimes to Brazilian society over recent times: The Melo-Dunga Mafia
My name is Mamudu Nurudeen popularly known as Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious born on 25 Feb. 1985, to Mr Mamudu and Hajia Safura at Bawku Central in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
I am currently a student of Sunyani Polytechnic offering HND General Agriculture.
I am also a freelance Journalist, a motivational speaker and the founder of PERSONALITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS (PHR)
PLEASE THIS WEBSITE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Jose Mourinho wants to take charge of the Portuguese national team. Temporarily anyway. The 
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