MAXI RODRIGUEZ & MIGUEL ATTRACT THE BIG EUROPEAN CLUBS

Seems the afternoon has picked up in the Spanish Football
transfer & gossip news area. Italian & Portugues
press - "La Gazzetta dello Sport" & "Ojogo" - have "excited"
the marketplace with some authentic rumours.















MAXI RODRIGUEZ: the Argentine International & ATLETICO
DE MADRID player has fired up the interests of the big Italian
clubs, AC MILAN, INTER & ROMA. Italian press say that all 3
will make an effort to lure Maxi to Italy, with AC Milan in the
better position due to its great relationship with Atletico.

My humble opinion is that this transfer is highly unlikely as Maxi
is a fundamental part of the Atletico proyect.

MIGUEL: the 26 year old Portugues International right back &
VALENCIA player, has seriously grabbed the attention of
BARCELONA FC & AC MILAN.
Barcelona see him as the player to strenghten the right back position
with Belleti & Milan see him as the substitute to Cafu.

Stay tuned!

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SPANISH FOOTBALL NEWS & WEEKEND SPORTS

Very little news of real substance today in the transfer rumour
& signning area. What has been said is the following:

DAVID ALVES : the payment conditions is the only obstacle
in his signing for LIVERPOOL FC ...minor, looks a done deal.

SAVIOLA: Sp. daily "Marca" mention that the Argentine has
offered himself to ATLETICO DE MADRID

FREI: the Swiss International & Rennes
player is being followed by SEVILLE FC.
They consider him the idea foward after
running into problems with the signnings
of Kerzhakov & Suazo.

The problem is that he has given his OK
to German team DORTMUND, but as the
saying goes: " its not over until the fat
lady sings".


Thats basically it, below you can read yesterdays posts on FABIO
AURELIO , TORRES, KAKA, CESC ...etc

Reminding you that this weekend is full of sports action:
.World Cup 1/4 finals ( without Spain)
.Formula 1 racing in the US with Fernando Alonso
.Moto GP in the UK with Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Bautista & company
.Real Madrid CF Presidential elections this Sunday
.plus many others...with Spanish participation
SFS will give you the results on all these weekend events.

Leave you with a "humourous" video of Football´s greatest missed
goals. Hope it puts a smile on your face for the weekend.

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FABIO AURELIO LEAVES VALENCIA FOR LIVERPOOL FC

FABIO AURELIO the 26
year old talented Brazilian
defender has finally decided
to leave Spanish 1º Division
team VALENCIA & has signed
for 4 seasons with English
Premier League club
LIVERPOOL FC.

Many clubs were interested in
the player, most notably
REAL MADRID, but finally
Liverpool coach/manager
Rafael Benitez has managed to
lure Aurelio across the English
Channel.



The rumour was persistent in the English press & it has now
been confirmed as a "done deal" here in Spain by Spanish sports
media this afternoon. The fine details of the transfer have not been
stated, no doubt all this will become public in the coming days.
Meanwhile it is expected that the "official signing" will take place
this weekend at Anfield Road.

Aurelio finished contract at Valencia & due to bad luck injuries
didn´t manage to fully integrate 100% in the Spanish Team.
While he did play, Aurelio demostrated his skill as an attacking
player with plenty of goal. I wish him well at Liverpool & we will
all miss his talent.

Leave you with a video of one of his many goals for Valencia.



Read more of todays Spanish Football transfer rumours & gossip
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SPANISH FOOTBALL TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP: CESC, KAKA, ROBBEN, TORRES & RAUL

Read the local sports press & its more like "pink press", thus
you wonder about the credibility behind the stories. There are
transfer rumours , gossip & all sorts of "inside exclusives"
that swear they have the lastest on the transfer market. Here
is a resume of today´s top stories, some ongoing for weeks.

The bulk of the news runs out of the REAL MADRID presidency
candidate Ramon Calderon comments & his would be "Football
Director" , Pedja Mijatovic work to tie players if their "ticket"
win next Sundays elections. Here are their promises, which they
say are 100% TIED.
















CESC FABREGAS: according to "AS", Mijatovic has shut
a deal,with his representative Joseba Diaz, for 5 seasons if
the Calderon candidacy wins. They say the player is eager to
play in REAL MADRID & has given his OK. ¿Believe it?

Remember, each candidate is "spitting out big names" to
attract votes & we cannot be sure how true the news is.























KAKA: The same candiadte, Ramon Calderon & his would be
"Football Director" Mijatovic, swear that they have tied up
the AC Milan star, if they win.
AC MILAN has announced on their "web" that Kaka has
extended his contract until 2011, thus it seems killing this
rumour.
However, it is not a 100% "official note & Milan is currently
involved with Italian authorities in legal actions over the match
fixing scandal that could see it go down to Serie B with other
clubs like Juventus, Florentina...etc.
¿Does Mijatovic know something we dont?¿ Is Milan staging
a stern fight to calm & avoid a backlash by its fans?


The other player who has given his
word & ok to the Calderon/Mijatovic
"ticket" is Chelsea & Holland
winger ROBBEN. This is the most
believable of the lot already mentioned.
The incorporation of Schevchenko &
Ballack to Chelsea has made Robben´s
stay more complicated & finds the
REAL MADRID option a great solution.


Talking about ongoing daily rumours & gossip, the FERNANDO
TORRES story heats up. Spanish daily "AS" has run a story that
practically says that "THE KID" is
1º step closer to accepting the
MANCHESTER UTD offer.
The problem seems to be that his
club ATLETICO DE MADRID wishes
the player - & symbol of the club -
to publically announce that he wishes
to leave, thus "saving" the club from
having to answer to its 000s of
supporters & their possible backlash.

Its also reported that Torres is excited
at the idea of forming part of the Man.
Utd. attack with Rooney & C.Ronaldo.
Thus this explains his preference for
the "Red Devils" over Chelsea & AC
Milan.


I personally suspect Man Utd wish to incorporate "The KID" &
launch a global marketing campaign with Ronaldo & Rooney, who
have pulling power in Europe & Asia, & more specifically amongst
the female target. It smells that "football" will therefore be relegated
to a 2º level below the marketing imperative. ¿Is this the ideal club
environment?

Having said all this, it is still to be seen the truth behind all this &
if Torres will finally accept. The rumours concerning Torres are
yearly & often later run out of steam. The player has not said anything
& all that is written is speculation at this moment.


Lastly, Spanish & Cataluña daily "Sport" ( pro - Barcelona & anti -
Madrid ) has put on the cover this story about RAUL.


















"They´ll Retire" from the Spanish Squad, coach Aragones
& the Captain Raul are both mentioned.
The resume is basically that Raul should leave the squad
to open up to a "new generation" of players. His contribution
in Germany was minimal & with 29 years he should stick to
club level football. ¿A bit harsh you may say?

Not at all. Behind that smile lies a man who has stirred up
controversy, questioned his coach & has not accepted that
he is not the player he used to be. In Germany while on the
bench, he complained that he should be in the starting line
up because he was better than Garcia & Villa.
Against France , coach Aragones, changed the side so as
Raul could start & prove his words. ¿Results? Zero!
Raul did nothing, did not even touch the ball. I rest my case.













Stay tuned to see how these rumours & gossip develop in the
coming days. SFS will let you know. Tweet

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SPAIN - WORLD CUP. THE ANALISIS OF THE END OF A CYCLE

SPAIN not only ended its WORLD CUP run losing against
France 1-3, it ended a "cycle" & heralded a new generation
of players for the next 4 - 8 years.














With the euphoria gone, we can now attempt to analyze coldly the
many questions that come to mind. Yesterday Spain lost due to
inexperience; Spain went down because they didn´t know how
to interpret when destructive & checking play was more suitable
over the creative play. People are asking :
¿Why start with Raul? ¿Why bring on Joaquin over Reyes?
¿Why not bring on Albelda & protect the 1-1 scoreline with a
counter -attacking game? Who knows!, its not my intention to
question the Spanish coach who knows more about football than
most Spaniards alive.

What is clear is that the "more experienced" players were BAD
mentors for their younger teammates. It became patently clear
to the World that Spain was not as good a team as we thought,
& importantly, that some of the much "raved" about players
are just good players. I repeat, just good players. Games are won
with goals & Spain is seriously lacking in this department. If you
look at the goals scored most have been penalties or set plays with
opposition player deflections, & the amount of missed opportunities
is worrying. Spain has a good defense, great midfield & an average
forward line that lacks definition & finishing power.

In my humble role of spectator & football lover, I will now ,
with all due respect, review the performance of each player in
the Squad during the tournament:

CASILLAS: Good performance, not really tested throughout the
tournament. Had a few mistakes but rectified with equally good
saves. 7/10

SERGIO RAMOS: Young upcoming defensive "star". Tenacious,
competitive, versatile & good in the air. Is not a lateral player,
Ramos is a CENTRAL defender. Will be part of the new
generation of Spanish team players & in his correct place. 7/10




















PABLO: Good defender, very solid & reliable. The experience
of this tournament will strenghten his play. Future cornorstone
of the Spanish defense. 7/10

PUYOL: Maximum effort, concentration & play. Solid, reliable
& leader. One of the few with proven top game experience, that
will be an intregate part of the future team . 8/10

PERNIA: Promised a lot, but delivered little. The reasons being
his late incorporation & non-pre qualifying experience. Very timid,
did not let loose as in the Spanish League & his weapon - free kicks
- not utilized. If he continues to play will depend on his form. 6/10.

CESC FABREGAS: The revelation of the Spanish Team. One of the
most complete midfielders seen in the last 10 years. Intelligent,
creative, patient, vision with pass & goal. Will be the main reference
of the side in the future, a leader & a World class (crack) player. 9/10
















XAVI ALONSO: the future looks bright. Another great player
out of the new generation that has matured into a solid &
talented midfielder. Alonso can only grow & get better, he
will be the backbone of the future midfield. 8/10

XAVI HERNANDEZ: excellent player who conducted the team
with a solid head. May have disappointed towards the end, but
remember he came out of a serious injury & he was marked
by opposition players. Future playmaker of the team. 8/10














DAVID VILLA: His goals were from penalties & set pieces, that
says a lot in itself. His inexperience really showed & was obsessed
with scoring & in proving something. The Spanish League 2º top
scorer proved to be just a "good player" & will need to improve
greatly to justify a place in the football elite. 6/10.

RAUL: Disappointing & showed us the start of the end of
the Raul cycle & the generation of players that he represents.
Spain changed its team setup to include him in the big French
match & he contributed with nothing. Controvesial for starting
on the bench & was a fraud when given the chance. Time for
new blood & I personally would not recall to the Squad. Better
to finish his career at club level in style. 5/10
(use Zidane as a reference & you can see how disappointing Raul
really was in the match & for his team)















FERNANDO TORRES: His price fell after the match against
France. Torres is young , rapid, competitive & strong, but he
needs to urgently solve how to not let goal chances escape.
Torres has a finishing problem in front of goal, a characteristic
that shows itself in the Spanish League weekly. If he can improve
this aspect he will be a great player & serve Spain well. To call
him a "crack" player at this point is still premature & not
certain. 7/10

















MARCO SENNA: Good but did´nt show us all his powers, which
include attacking football & powerful shooting at goal. Was given
a more defensive role & did well. His age may halt his progression
in the Squad, except if he continues to play well. 7/10

ALBELDA: Played little as his style may not have been compatible
with the creative flair. Should have played in the 2º half against
France to destroy play & restrain. Experience & very solid. His age
may reduce his future role in the Squad in preference to the young
upcoming players. 6/10

JUANITO: Played against Saudi Arabia & scored. Solid defender
who did his job well. Played too little to really examine. 7/10

CAÑIZARES: Long time keeper that did his job when he played.
Will disappear to club football & retire. 7/10

REINA: Did´nt play & should have. Obvious replacement for
Cañizares & possibly Casillas. Will be Spain´s future keeper
battling with Casillas & Barcelona´s Victor Valdes

IÑIESTA: Young midfielder who plays like a 30year old. Will
be one of the big future players of the Spanish Team & will
now begin his contribution for the next Euro Cup & World
Cup. A star in the making, that played very little. 7/10




















LUIS GARCIA. A good team player that always gives his
100%. Perhaps played out of position & that lowered his
game, but disappointing in the definition of goal chances.
His continued presence in the squad will depend on his club
form. Expected more. 6/10

JOAQUIN: The most overrated winger in Spanish football
in years. A annoying tendency to play inward from his wing
which tramples others. Disappointing considering his
experience ( missed the penalty against Korea in last WC),
missed chances & sinned of individual play. Not a sufficient
player for international level. 5/10

REYES: Bright young hope that will develop into an authentic
star. Surprised he was relegated in preference to Joaquin. Quick,
attacking , excellent crossing & goal. With experience will be
like his teammate Cesc - future International World class
player. Fundamental in future Spanish sides. 7/10





















ANTONIO LOPEZ: Was relegated with the inclusion of Pernia.
Young & talented, great left back with excellent attacking power
& free kicks. Played the Arabia match & did well. Will be the future
Left Back player. 7/10

SALGADO: Played against Arabia & showed the little match practice
that he had towards the end. Is the natural right back over Ramos
(who is a central defender), & may have contributed with his experience
a lot more than Ramos. Played his last WC & will concentrate at club
level, except if he plays exceptionally & maybe called up again to
add experience. 6/10

MARCHENA: Played against Arabia & did his job. His continued
contribution to the Spanish side depends on his club form. 6/10


Lastly , there are young players that will be called up to join the
"New Generation" of Spanish Squad players soon : NAVAS ( Seville),
RAUL GARCIA ( Osasuna)...just to mention two.

Here is my possible future "new look" Spanish Squad:
Casillas ( Reina or Valdes)
? ( a new talent to be found) - Ramos - Puyol/Pablo - A.Lopez
Cesc - X.Alonso - Xavi ( or Iñiesta)
Navas (Seville player) - Torres ( if he betters) - Reyes

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WORLD CUP: SPAIN 1 - FRANCE 3. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

The Spanish National Side
are on their way home, after
losing 1- 3 to France.

The tonic of this World Cup
is that experience is conquering
the creative playmakers.

It seems the a conservative &/or
traditional tactical set up is
steam-rolling those adventurous
enough to go out & play football

¿Am I correct? Or is it that those
left behind simply don´t deserve to
move ahead. I believe this is the
case.


Things began well for Spain with a penalty in the 27´min that DAVID
VILLA scored & appeared to point the way to go. France then took
control of the midfield & pressured, eliminating the creative play
making Spanish players. The reward come just before the end of the
1º half with a goal from French foward RIBERY in the 40´min
(1-1)











In the 2º half Spain made its changes. In came Luis Garcia,
Joaquin & Senna for Raul, Villa & Xavi. The idea was to
open up the wings & put some fresh legs into attack. The idea
was good, until the nerves set in & time began racing away.

Then in the 82´min PATRICK VIERA scored the 1-2 from a set
piece that killed the spirit of the Spanish team. The pacnic set
in & in a move forward , France stole & ZIDANE scored the
3º goal (1-3) sending Spain home.














My sincere congratulations to the French Team who played the
match the way they know best. Total midfield domination &
physical power - Viera & Makelele a very experienced game - &
took advantage of the Spanish mistakes.












The positive lesson: Spain has a new & wonderfully talented
generation of players to look forward too. If this team can be
kept together, they can only grow & grow, & will be very strong
in the future.

Lastly, another positive note is the discovery of a young player
that will be a STAR in 3 years ( if not already); CESC FABREGAS,
one of the finest midfielders I´ve seen for a while. This young man
will be a "crack" player soon & will be a natural leader to take the
young team - Ramos, Reyes, Iniseta, Torres, Villa, Garcia...& company
to bigger & better things.

Thanks Spain, thanks for the emotion, the creativity & the football.

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WORLD CUP NEWS.SPAIN v FRANCE

Is it just me, or is there a sense that the "good" teams are not
qualifying?Mexico, Holland, Australia, Switzerland..., that is,
thoses teams that go out & actually play football lose!
If this is true, we could be in for an upset tonight, as Spain plays
France (21.00 Sp Time).















All the experts are unanimous in hailing Spain as one of the few
great playing sides, with touch football & goal. If France are
playing badly & are "too old", Spain should win tonight ¿correct?
Here is the SPANISH starting lineup:
CASILLAS
RAMOS- PABLO- PUYOL- PERNIA
CESC - X.ALONSO - XAVI
RAUL - TORRES - VILLA

However, I don´t trust our neighbours, & in particular the character
pictured below - Thierry Henry, & his friends. Nothing like a knock out
- do or die game - against a good side, to raise yourself from the dead.
France are like that, traditionally lift for the big occasion & have luck
on their side.














Still have the memory of the 1984 ( anniversary today!!!)
European Nations Cup Final , when Spain playing at its best,
were beaten 2-0 by France, in an unlucky match that badly went
wrong, after Spanish goalkeeper Arconada let slip through his
body a "harmless" ball. Then the nerves took control, the players
began to question their worth...& the devil took over.

Let´s hope that this is
just history & that it
does´nt repeat itself.

Let´s pray that my gut
instinct is wrong & I have
confused it with nerves.

Let´s think that the current
trend of good teams being
knocked out is just a coincident & nothing mystical.

Let all Spaniards wish that, for this time, with possibly the
most talented side in years, we will have the play, the referee,
luck & justice on our side.

Will post a roundup as soon as game finishes tonight. Tweet

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP - MORE INCREDIBLE NEWS

The transfer rumours & gossip are beginning to reach new
heights. As US rappers "Public Enemy" said "Dont Believe The
Hype".

Italian press mention that
AC MILAN is preparing - in
the most stereotype Italian
tradition - an offer ATLETICO
DE MADRID cannot refuse, for
FERNANDO TORRES &
MAXI RODRIGUEZ. Thats
right folks - an offer for both!
40,000,000€ plus players
like Johan Vogel & Ambrosini.

Are they serious? Both
these players cost 2 times
more & the players offered
don´t even play. Lastly, do
you believe Atletico will let
go the "stars" of the World
Cup? I don´t.

The transfer news & rumours are beginning to reach "fairytale"
levels that start to lose credibilty & common sense. We will
however, continue to read more & more outragous news in the
coming weeks.

Speaking of more "fairytales", or they seem at this point
of time. REAL MADRID presidency candidates reveal that
they have tied up BIG signings if they win.

The first vote winning announcement comes from candidate
LORENZO SANZ














He has Inter de Milan & Brazilian Striker ADRIANO "in
the bag"( my saying) if he wins next Sunday´s election.



Another Real Madrid candidate
VILLAR MIR has announced his
vote winning BIG signing, if he wins
next Sunday. He says that he has
Manchester Utd & Portugues
International CRISTIAN RONALDO
"in the bag" for Real.



As said in the American TV series "Amazing Stories"...
"Believe it or Not". Tweet

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FERNANDO TORRES: CHELSEA F.C PREPARE AN OFFENSIVE.

Spain´s young 22 year old
striker FERNANDO TORRES
is on the headlines continously
within the British press.

Yesterday Sunday Times & Mirror
brought to light the interest of
signing "THE KID" by CHELSEA
F.C.

It´s no secret that MANCHESTER
UTD have contacted Torres´s
representative to let the player
know of their interest. The English
Club would pay 30,000,000€ plus
include Van Nistelrooy in the
operation.


Now Premier League rival Chelsea, doesn´t wish to see Utd with a
possible Torres-Rooney forward line & have come in to start a
bidding war. Chelsea offer 30,000,000€ plus DIDIER DROGBA,
for the moment, as the cheque book of Abramovich is thick.

Fernando Torres has said he will not comment until after his World
Cup performance, when he will weight up all the offers & decide. His
current team ATLETICO DE MADRID has´nt received a formal
offer from said clubs as yet, & have said repeatedly that Torres is
NOT for sale.

To end, there exists a real possiblity that Torres will stay in Spain,
& continue in Atletico. We have seen every year theses sort of transfer
rumours; Barcelona FC, Real Madrid, AC Milan...etc, & Torres stays.

Stay tuned for what will be the ongoing summer football soap opera!

Late News . Spanish daily "marca" say the Man Utd offer is now
37,000,000€ (no mention of a player in the operation)
¿Do you think Torres is worth it? ¿Is he right for Man Utd &
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FORMULA 1. FERNANDO ALONSO WINS CANADIAN GP

Another great day for SPANISH SPORTS & FERNANDO
ALONSO. The current World Formula 1 Champ has
won the CANADIAN GP , here are the Top 5 race results:
1. Alonso (Sp)
2. Schumacher (Ger)
3. Raikkonen (Fin)
4. Fisichella (Ita)
5. Massa (Brazil)













Its Alonso´s 4th GP win in a row this seasons & stretches his lead over
his immediated rivals.
Here are the overall World Championships Top 5 standings:
1. Alonso (Sp) 84pts
2. Schumacher (Ger) 59pts
3. Raikkonen (Fin) 39pts
4. Fisichella (Ita) 37pts
5. Massa (Bra) 28pts

Read below all of todays Spanish World Cup Football team news. Tweet

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SPAIN:WORLD CUP NEWS ¿CESC & RAUL COME IN AGAINST FRANCE?

Spanish National World Cup coach Luis Aragones, said yesterday in his
press conference, that he had the starting team lineup against France
practically decided, with the exception of minor ideas yet to be confirmed.

Luis Aragones does´nt shy at giving hints to media & his opponents, he
uses the "coloured garment method". That is, he finishes training with
an "intense" match between his "starting lineup" & "substitutes". A signal
that up till now has been faithfull & correct till actual match day.















At this morning´s training season the NEWS FLASH was that CESC &
RAUL were not given the "coloured garments" for substitute players, &
gave us the "signal" that perhaps Spain will lineup without Senna & L.Garcia,
& give a run to experience/leadership (Raul) & creative vision /Cesc) from
the beginning.

The starting lineup would therefore be ( if we take the "esoteric signal"
from Aragones):

CASILLAS
RAMOS - PABLO - PUYOL - PERNIA
CESC - X.ALONSO - XAVI
RAUL - TORRES - VILLA

What are your thoughts readers?

Finally, leave you with an interesting diagram found in "elmundo".
A road map to the final. Its in Spanish & maybe difficult to see,
but I feel we can figure it out & thus give some interesting
information for the SFS readers.

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WORLD CUP - SPAIN v FRANCE. THE NEXT HURDLE

The WORLD CUP begins now! SPAIN which finished in 1º place of
Group H will now meet FRANCE who finished 2º in its group.

They will meet head to head next Tuesday at 21.00 (Sp.Time) with the
winner going onto the 1/4 finals.

















This is a true test of fire for Spain, as they meet a formitable rival, who
isn´t playing well, but is capable of raising itself precisely in this match.
You can never discount Henry, Viera, Zidane , Trezaguet & co., who can
spark a momentary burst of magic & shatter the opposition dreams. There
exists mutual respect between both teams, but France has traditionally
been a thorn on the Spanish side, that Spain wishes to finally remove next
Tuesday.

















Spanish Football & Sports would kindly like to ask its readers for their
opinion:
¿Which team do you think will win?
¿Should Zidane comeback into the French side?
¿Who should start for Spain? ¿Raul? ¿Cesc?
Pls leave your comments.


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MOTOGP. SPANIARDS DO WELL IN DUTCH GP

Spaniards have done well in all 3 catagories of MotoGP, which
was celebrated at the Assen race circuit in Holland.

In the GP catagory , DANI PEDROSA finished a magnificent 3º
behind Nakano & Nick Hayden. He is now 2º in the overall
Championship standings.

Overall Classification:
1.Nicky Hayden (USA) 144pts
2.Pedrosa (SP) 102pts
3.Capirossi (ITA) 100pts















In the 250cc catagory the winner was JORGE LORENZO who defeated
De Angelis with 3º place for current leader Dovizioso

Overall General Classification stands:
1.Dovizioso (ITA) 149pts
2.Lorenzo (SP) 133pts
3.Takahashi (JPN) 99pts




















Lastly, in the 125 cc catagory, 2 Spaniards reached the podium.
The winner was Mika Kallio, ahead of GADEA ( pictured below)
& current leader A.BAUTISTA

Overall General Classification:
1.A.Bautista (SP) 160pts
2.Kallio (FIN) 113pts
3.Gadea (SP) 103pts















Next Gp racing - British GP Tweet

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SPANISH FOOTBALL WEEKEND TRANSFER GOSSIP

Here is a quick rundown on the latest weekend SPANISH
FOOTBALL TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP.



REAL MADRID Danish midfielder
GRAVESEN is in the "orbit" of
Italian club FLORENTINA. The
Real player has given his ok as long
as the club is not embroilled in the
Italian referee scandals. Stay tuned
for more news soon.



ATLETICO DE MADRID player ARIEL IBAGAZA is getting real
close to playing at CELTA DE VIGO next season. This would
be a loan deal, because Ibagaza has contract with the Madrid club.
MALLORCA are also interested but find his "wage" too steep
to handle.




















SEVILLE FC player JORDI LOPEZ has signed for MALLORCA
for the coming seasons. The midfielder has played 19 games
for Seville & now has a chance to be a regular & show his
true talent.















Lastly, DIEGO RIVAS, currently of GETAFE, wants to leave & go to
REAL SOCIEDAD. His current club wants his contract clause to be
payed 3,000,000€, thus no need for clubs to negotiate. But seeing the
player wishes to go, it makes sense for Getafe to sit down with
Real Sociedad & try to get the best deal. More news on this
in the coming days.















Sources: Sports dailys "AS ,Sport,Mundo Deportivo & Marca", plus "elmundo". Tweet

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WORLD CUP: SPAIN 1 - SAUDI ARABIA 0. SO RELAXED ITS WORRYING

OK, Spain had its "substitute side".Alright, Spain won the
match 1-0 to Saudi Arabia. But how can you explain Spain´s
worrying & unexplained 2º half? Perhaps the "relaxation"
of qualifying & a lower opponent lead to this performance?

The lack of tension shown in the 2º half, has filled my mind,
with more doubts, than calming karma. Can Spain afford
to play like the 2º half against France? Brazil?














The starting lineup was as expected , give a run to the other players,
no Ramos, Pernia, X.Alonso, Torres, Puyol, Pablo,Garcia...
This made no difference in the 1º half. Spain played great football &
CESC FABREGAS , REYES & JOAQUIN were in full flight. But
ZAID the Saudi goalkeeper stopped them all, shots from everywhere
that somehow didnt find the back of the net.



















The goal finally come in the 39´min from an excellent header
from JUANITO, thanks to a superb Reyes "curver".

































It looked like the 2º half would be a whitewash & there was
changes: Villa for Raul, Xavi for Cesc & Torres for Reyes.

But it all seemed to go "wrong", the Saudi´s took control
& Spain never recovered, including some dangerous Saudi
goal shooting. The Saudi´s lost respect & grew, showing some
worrying aspects to the Spanish game.

Independiently, Spain won & qualified.Great !. However, the
World Cup starts NOW, & the "real teams" are there NOW.
Spain needs to regain its concentration, its hunger, its play
& respect, if they are to continue in their merry way. I´m sure
this is only a scare, that it will be ok, but that doesn´t take away
the worry, the questions that have been raised today.

Thanks to "elmundo" for the pictures. Tweet

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WORLD CUP - SPAIN v SAUDI ARABIA. PREVIEW

SPAIN plays SAUDI ARABIA today (16.00 Sp) with the comfort
of knowing that they have already qualified for the final 16.
Spanish coach Luis Aragones, will field a "Substitute Side" so as
to rest players & give others a piece of the "World Cup experience"















The local debate was, who would be the goalkeeper - Cañizares
or Reina? Thanks to our readers comments, the consensus is mixed
(see comments below), & this is how Coach Aragones also feels.
It seems Cañizares will start & Reina will play the second half, thus
playing the diplomatic role.
Here is the "proposed" line up, in case you missed it.




















This is the "proposed" Saudi lineup according to "elmundo",
which may have changes. The Saudi´s will go all out to win
in order to save some pride. They have been promised 52,000€
per player if they defeat Spain today.















Full roundup later after the match.

Read below todays more than interesting transfer rumours &
gossip about Senna, Kaka, Materazzi, Landzaat & Hinkel. Tweet

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP V. SENNA, KAKA, MATERAZZI, LANDZAAT & HINKEL

Big news & rumours today from all the local sports press.















The 1º of our news: MANCHESTER UNITED will make an
offer of 12,000,000€ for Villareal´s & Spanish World Cup
player MARCO SENNA. Apparently, he is a priority on the
Utd. agenda , after that difficulties with Diarra.

Brazilian & AC MILAN star KAKA
has extended his contract with the
"Rosso Negri" until 2011, according
to "Marca". This is all valid as long
as Milan does´nt go down to Serie B,
which is a real possibilty with Juventus.

This is a "small" blow to the Ramon
Calderon candidacy for the REAL
MADRID presidency, who comment that
the player was practically "in the bag".
However if , as mentioned, Italian authorities
decide to punish Milan by going to Serie B, REAL MADRID are in the
driving seat for this talented player.

















As mentioned a few days ago, INTER MILAN & Italian
national squad defender MATAREZZI is on the VILLAREAL
agenda, so much so, that a top Villareal directive has travelled
to Germany to convience the player & therefore allow his rep.
to work to set the player free from his current club.

















Only 1,000,000€ separates 30 year old DENNY LANDZAAT ,
a player of Dutch team AZ ALKMAAK, from Spanish 1º
Division club ESPANYOL, according to "AS".
Stay tuned on how this turns out.

SEVILLE FC has announced another
interesting signing. ANDRES HINKEL
the 24 year old Stuttgart player, has
signed for 4 seasons at a cool fee of
15,000,000€. Hinkel joins Poulsten
in the new look Seville for the upcoming
season, & without doubt , will be joined
by more new signings in the coming weeks.
Seville are determined to do better & lift
itself to higher levels.
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