Tuesday 28 July 2009

Champion League Draw (2009/2010)

The competition starts with Matchday One on September 15-16.

The Draw
Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa

Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg

Group C: Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich

Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosi

Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen

Group F: Barcelona, Internazionale, Dinamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan

Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni

Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos, Standard Liege

Thursday 23 July 2009

Hardwork & Patience Make A Prof Footballer

By Emmanuel Zigidik, Afrique Internationale Secretary

Talking Football

We had our annual dinner get together at the famous Trofea Restaurant on Sunday 16 August. But it was more than just eating, drinking and partying. The dinner was organised to make the players think about football and to play football. It is also to let them know that football is all about patience and preparation. We also want the new players to see and feel what the club tradition is all about.

It was another pleasant night for everyone as players, coaches, management and sponsors dwelt on the performance of the team. Of course our team have come of age. We played 14 matches, winning 12 and losing two this season. We currently have new players: two Hungarians, four Nigerians, One Cameroonian and two from Ivory Coast.

The Head Coach, Dr. Agonglo Joel, distributed gifts to the players according to dedication, seriousness, participation, concentration, performance during training and matches. However, Agonglo singled out the captain, Samson Emmanuel, for his extra-ordinary performance. As a result, Samson's gift was more special than other players.

It was a special moment because I recall that some African players initially didn't want to join the club because they were sceptical about anything being organised by the black people. It is a good feeling to know that the club is now in BLSZ 1.

Dr Bálogh Sandor, our main sponsor, was particularly happy for the club's rapid success as he hugged and shook Agonglo hands in recognition of his tremendous work. He congratulated the players for being promoted to BLSZ 1 and encouraged them to do more in other to enter Professional 3 next season saying, "he knows it gonna be though but they should put more efforts to win the league". He added that he will deliver a new set of training kits for the new season in short time. He also reassured us that he will always be there both spiritually and physically as long as we continue to win matches.

The president, Nelson Victor on behalf of the team appreciated Bálogh's support and encouragement towards the club development.

He said: "Thank you for being with us this last season. Thank you for your wonderful contributions, including taxes paid on the registered members/players of this team. And thank you for the things you are about to do for the team both the Junior and Senior team".

In the past there was nothing like Football Academy in Hungary to encourage African players in their career. As I said, this club is about making players think about professional football. It is the club's believe that a player has to start somewhere before winning international awards like European Footballer of the Year or even World Footballer. And most importantly, our players are being demanded for abroad.

My experience in the Afrika Stars FC Club has taught me that discipline is very important in the development of a football team. For instance, it will be very difficult for a team to make it without a dedicated and diligent coach.

Therefore, we are encouraging the youths (between the age of 6 to 22 or 23) to go professional. They should join us because we have lots of programmes to build their football talent. And in order to enter the Academy, they need to submit CV. If the applicant is 16 or 17, the head coach will contact the person for trials. In case the applicant falls below, then Coach Andrew will take him up to his satisfaction.

Friday 10 July 2009

France, Germany Exit Recession

The French and German economies both grew by 0.3 per cent between April and June, bringing to an end year-long recessions in Europe's largest economies. Stronger exports and consumer spending, as well as government stimulus packages, contributed to the growth. The data came as a surprise, with few analysts expecting Germany and France to start to recover so soon.

But economic activity in the Eurozone fell by 0.1 per cent, showing the region as a whole is still in recession. Markets reacted positively to the news, with the main German and French markets up more than one per cent at midday.

In London, the FTSE 100 index rose 1.3 per cent, with traders anticipating a positive effect on the UK economy, which by contrast shrank by 0.8 per cent in the second quarter. It was the fifth consecutive quarter of economic contraction in the Eurozone, but was a marked improvement on the 2.5 per cent drop recorded in the first three months of the year.

Both the French and German economies last grew in the first quarter of 2008. Exports in Germany - the world's largest exporter - grew by seven per cent in June, the fastest pace in nearly three years. The country's Federal Statistics Office said that household and government expenditure had also boosted growth.

It added that imports had declined "far more sharply than exports, which had a positive effect on GDP growth". Analyst reaction to Germany's recovery was mixed. "The recession has ended, and it has ended sooner than we all thought. We expect to see growth of one per cent in the third quarter, which is very strong for Germany, and I wouldn't rule out the chance of even better growth," said Andreas Rees at Unicredit.

Others were more circumspect, arguing that the economy is over-reliant on government stimulus packages.