Drorgba signs for Shanghai Shenhua

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has signed with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on a two-and-a-half year deal.

Drogba had offers from many European top clubs after leaving Chelsea last month, but he has decided to head to China to play for the Shanghai Shenhua.

The 34 year old striker said: "Today I can inform you that I have signed with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua for a two and a half year deal. I will fly out to join up with the squad in July."

"I have considered all the offers I have received in the past few weeks, but I feel that Shanghai Shenhua is the right move for me at this time."

"I am looking forward to a new challenge and to experience a new culture, and I am excited about the new developments in the Chinese Super League."

"When Chelsea went to China last year, we had a great time and I met some amazing fans. I hope to help promote Chinese football around the world and further improve the links between China and Africa."

Olympique Safi breaks the streak of 10 games without defeat of Raja Casablanca

Raja Casablanca could not extend his streak of 10 games without defeat after losingl by 2 goals to 1 at the home of Olympique Safi. With this result, Raja remains 3rd with 38 points, 5 behind the leader FUS Rabat.

Shanghai Shenhua starts off 2012 with a tie

Shanghai Shenhua tied 1-1 against Jiangsu Shuntian in the 1st match-day of the 2012 Chinese Super League. Jevtic scored the 0-1 for Jiangsu in the 11th minute, but Griffiths tied the game for Shanghai in the 57th. With this score, Shanghai Shenhua places 8º in the standings with 1 point.

5th consecutive game without defeat by Club América

Club América tied 1-1 in their visit to ClubTijuana in the 10th match-day of the 2012 Clausura Tournament. This game marked the 5th consecutive game without defeat by Club América (3 wins and 2 draws). The team is now 3º in the standings with 19 points, only 1 point behind the current leader, Santos Laguna.

Slaviša Jokanovic, new coach of SCG Muangthong United

CG Muangthong United has set a target to re-gain Thai Premier League title in next season as they introduced their new head coach, former Chelsea player Slavisa Jokanovic who signed one-year contract with an option for two-year contract extension.


Jokanovic was born in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia and he started playing for hometown side FK Novi Sad. Later, he played for FK Vojvodina, FK Partizan, Real Oviedo, CD Tenerife, Deportivo de La Coruna (helping the Galicians won its first ever league title), Chelsea and Ciudad de Murcia, playing just three months.

Late of 2007 Jokanovic became the head coach of Partizan, replacing Miroslav DukiC, who left to take the reins of the national side and in May 2008, under Jokanovic"s management, Partizan won the double (league and cup). In his first full season, Jokanovic led Partizan to another double, winning the league with 19 points ahead of former club Vojvodina.

Jokanovic said in the press conference on Monday, February 27 that he not hesitated to accepted this job as soon as Muangthong contacted him as he know the club have an ambition and hungry for success. Jokanovic also said he pleased with an opportunity to work with the club and think this will be hugh experiences for him because Muangthong is the club of Bangkok, the Thailand"s capital and he set his sight to win the league title next season.
   
SCG Muangthong"s sport director Ronnarit Suewaja hold a press conference in order to launch their new head coach and said Jokanovic was in the top list of their new coach search because his devote for the job and he also has experiences with top club. Muangthong"s sport director said the club want a better season next year and confident that new coach can bring the players together and bring the best out of them.

Al Ain remains at the top of the league

Al Ain won 0-2 against Dubai in the 14th match-day of the UAE Pro League. With this score, Al Ain remains 1º with 33 points, 5 behind 2º, Al Nasr.

Muangthong United signs Adnan Barakat

- Full name: Adnan Barakat
- Date of birth: September 3rd, 1982
- Place of birth: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Nationality: Dutch / Moroccan
- Position: Midfielder

Muangthong United lost in the FA Cup final

Buriram PEA, current champions of the Thai Premier League, beat Muangthong United 1-0 in the final of the Thai FA Cup. The 90 minutes ended at 0-0, so they went into overtime. Frank Acheampong scored the winning goal in the 108th minute for Buriram PEA.

Club Atlético de Madrid, on behalf of the International Alliance, wishes to congratulate Muangthong United for all the effort they have shown during this competition, as well as for their consistency and good playing.

Sport Club Internacional began the refurbishment of their stadium, Beira-Rio

Sport Club Internacional's board has reached an agreement with the construction company Andrade Gutierrez so the works to modernize the Beira-Rio stadium start in 30 days. The project will make the stadium much more comfortable and safe. The club will adapt to the new requirements and standards of international football by being prepared to host any game, either nationally or internationally. In addition, the stadium will host five games of the 2014 World Cup, which will bring much pride to all the "Colorados", whom will see their old stadium become one of the most modern and beautiful in the world.

 

Simeone the new coach of Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have hired Diego Pablo Simeone as new coach of the Atletico first team. The Argentinan coach has accepted the offer made to him on Thursday for the remainder of the season and another season. He arrives in the capital of Spain on Monday to begin work at the helm. His official presentation will take place on Tuesday, December 27th at 12:30 hours in the VIP Lounge Calderon.

Simeone is a connoisseur of red and white, to which he belonged as a player in two stinits (1994-97 and 2003-05) as part of the glorious squad that won the league and cup double in the 95-96 season. He debuted in 2006 as a coach on the bench for Racing de Avellaneda and in 2007 won the opening title in front of Estudiantes de la Plata. He later went to River Plate with the former Argentine Clausura champion in 2008, rising in 2009 to lead San Lorenzo de Almagro, who qualified for the Copa Sudamericana, and in January 2011 made ??the leap to Europe, saving the Italian club Catania from relegation from Serie A. In June he signed again for the Racing de Avellaneda, who he took to second place in the opening title and qualified for the Copa Sudamericana eight years after their last participation. Simeone split with Argentine club to becomes available to Atletico Madrid.

Nicolas Anelka signs for Shanghai Shenhua

Shanghai Shenhua has reached an agreement with the French striker Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea to sign and incorporate him into its ranks starting January, although the contract is not signed yet, based on the information of the official Chinese press. "We have reached an agreement on all contract details and we are just waiting to sign it," the club spokesman said, Ma Yue, to the local newspaper "Shanghai Daily". The player, 32, will sign for 2 seasons.

The teams from the International Alliance would like to welcome its new member, Besiktas from Turkey.

Club América closes the regular season with an away defeat

Club América closed the season with a defeat by 3 goals to 1 at the home of Cruz Azul. The hosts took the lead with 2 goals from Villa and 1 from Orozco. Montenegro scored the goal for América in the 80th minute. The team closes the season 17th in the standings with 15 points, 11 points behind playoff positions.

Internacional loses at home

International lost by 1 goal to 2 against Fluminense in the 33rd match-day of the Brazilian Championship. Rafael Moura and Sóbis scored for Fluminense, while Oscar did for International. With this defeat, the team from Porto Alegre loses a position in the table and falls down to the 7th place with 51 points, 7 points behind the current leader, Corinthians.

A letter from Andrew Hauptman to the Chicago Fire Supporters

 Dear Fire Faithful, 

Despite our strong finish, winning seven of our final ten matches, the Fire fell short of our goals and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. As a club that prides itself on winning on- and-off-the-field, this is disappointing for all of us. But looking ahead, I believe there are still a lot of reasons for us to be excited. We are a club that is growing stronger and we are poised to continue this trajectory next year.

Leading our Men in Red on the field in 2012 will be Frank Klopas, who will be our permanent head coach. As many of you know, Frank has lived and breathed this organization for years, first as a player and then as part of our technical staff. He is keen to foster a culture that honors our club, he understands the meaning of our badge and will compete tirelessly for our team, our supporters and our city. Frank embodies the qualities we strive for in Chicago – tradition, honor, and passion, which aren’t just words to him, and I believe he is the best person to lead our young men to achieve success on the pitch and beyond.

This year our Technical Staff brought in a strong base of young players and experienced leaders who will serve as the foundation of the club going forward. Twenty new players were added — which in itself was a challenge but necessary in order to build the club into what we all want. In 2011, we also added our second homegrown player, Kellen Gulley. His addition is symbolic of our promise to grow talent through our Fire Player Development system, and our desire to be at the forefront of this endeavor nationwide.

Additionally, we have spent countless hours expanding our worldwide connections, creating meaningful relationships that will impact our team and business. Having just returned from an extended trip overseas meeting with clubs across England, Spain and Italy, I am confident these relationships will foster tremendous opportunities for us. Of course, after experiencing the record sell-out crowd of 61,308 for the Fire versus Manchester United at Soldier Field, we will continue to bring renowned clubs to Chicago as we strive to highlight soccer in our city. From the beginning, it has been our mission to extend our connectivity throughout Chicago and remain a steward for our sport, our city and our club.

This year, the Fire once again competed in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and for an MLS-record sixth time made it to the finals. Since 1998, the Fire has amassed an impressive 28-9-3 record in Open Cup play. I was proud to be on-hand with my family for the Championship match in Seattle, and was happy to see a spirited and sizable contingent of Fire supporters in the stands that night.

As I look back on our 2011 campaign, so many of the moments that resonate with me involve your steadfast support of the Fire: a boisterous, red-clad crowd as we kicked off our 14th season with a thrilling 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City. The helpful guise of smoke that aided Jalil Anibaba's long distance strike to kick off our run to the U.S. Open Cup Final. The over 400 of you who invaded Columbus and saw Cristian Nazarit tumble the ball over the line as we celebrated at Crew Stadium. The roar of the crowd as Dominic Oduro slotted home Patrick Nyarko's pass to defeat Chivas USA 3-2. The reaction online and outpouring of support immediately after those two incredible stoppage time goals vs. DC United: a reminder that the Fire never give up...and neither do its supporters. The stunning display in Section 8 as Diego Chaves knocked in Oduro's rebound and leapt into the crowd to close out the season.

I could go on and on. But it is truly the incredible spirit of our supporters, personnel, players and coaches that collectively inspires each and every day.

We will take our lessons from this season and our successes, however modest, and build upon them, for we are in this for the long haul. It takes discipline and passion, but it also takes time to build the kind of world class club we are after.

Thanks for the support. We can’t wait to share each and every moment with you again in 2012.

Best,

Andrew Hauptman
Owner, Chicago Fire Soccer Club
Ahauptman@chicago-fire.com

Shanghai Shenhua ends the season with a victory

What better way to end the season with a victory in the chinese derby against your arch-rival. This is excatly what has happened to Shanghai Shenhua after winning by 1 goal to 0 against Beijing Guoan in the final match-day of the 2011 CSL. When it appeared that the match would end 0-0, Jiang Kun scored the winning goal in overtime. With this victory, Shanghai Shenhua finishes the season in 11th position with 37 points.

Narrow defeat at home by Club América

Club América lost by 2 goals to 3 against Puebla FC in the 16th match-day of the Mexican Championship. América took the lead 2 minutes into the game with a goal by Jiménez, but two goals by Luis Garcia and one by Riascos put Puebla ahead. Vuoso scored for América another goal in the 87th minute, but they could not tie the game. With this defeat, Club América ramins 17th in the standings with 15 points, 8 behind playoff positions.

5th consecutive game without defeat by International

Sport Club Internacional won by 0-1 at the home of Atletico Clube Goianiense in the 32nd match-day of the Brazilian Championship. Kleber scored for the visiting team the only goal of the match on the 59th minute. With this victory, International moves up one position to the 6th place with 51 points, 7 behind the current leader, Corinthians.

Al Ain remains unbeaten in the league so far this season

Al Ain won by 2 goals to 1 against Dubai Club in the 3rd match-day of the UAE League. Gyan scored both goals for Al Ain, and Daoudi scored the one for Dubai. With this new victory Al Ain remains undefeated so far this season, and is 2nd in the standings with 7 points, only 3 points behind Al Jazira, but with 1 fewer game played.

Raja Casablanca's first win on this season

It has taken Raja Casablanca 6 match-days to win their first game of this new Moroccan Championship season. The team from Casablanca won by 1 goal to 0 against CODM Meknés. With this victory, Raja moves up to the 10th position with 7 points, 6 behind the current leader, Wydad Casablanca.