Drug dealer caught at Anderson's home

Man United's Anderson has been cleared of any wrongdoing after a drug dealer was arrested at his home in Brazil.

Richard Alex da Silva Martins 'Gigi' was detained at the home of the Brazil international after a year-long investigation, but Public Ministry official Ricardo Herbstrich stressed Anderson was not involved in the case.

Herbstrich, who led the operation in the Menino Deus neighbourhood in Porto Alegre, told the Zero Hora newspaper: "There is nothing against Anderson in this investigation.

"According to what we have, he is just a friend of the dealer and maybe he doesn't even know he is a criminal."

Agent Paulo Tonietto, who manages Anderson's businesses in Brazil, added: "The only thing I can say is that Anderson, as well as any other person, can be a friend of whoever he wants, but he is not involved in any crime.

"Anderson is a professional and he will offer an explanation of what has happened soon."

by espnstar.com

Tags: Man United, Anderson, Brazil

Trezeguet out until 2009

French striker David Trezeguet will not play for Juventus again until next year, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday.

The French striker underwent surgery this morning on both knees and will be sidelined for four months.

Trezeguet had struggled with injury since the start of the season and his condition worsened after his team's Champions League triumph against Zenit St Petersburg.

"Trezeguet will be sidelined for 120 days and hence his expected return to the pitch should take place at the end of January," read a statement on the club's official website, www.juventus.it.

by espnstar.com

Tags: French, striker, David Trezeguet, Juventus, Serie A

Arsenal's secrets revealed

A motivational sheet handed out to Arsenal players ahead of their game with Bolton has been leaked to the media.

While managers like Jose Mourinho and Sam Allardyce famously overload their players with details of opposition players and ProZone stats, this document is a simple A4 sheet of just 224 words.

The document was apparently drafted by a sports psychologist and was designed to motivate a team that had already played two difficult away games in the space of a few days.

Emphasis is firmly placed on the 'team' and advices the players to 'stay grounded and humble as a player and a person'.

The full advice is as follows...

CONFIDENTIAL

Team meeting 19th September 2008-09-22:

The team:

* A team is as strong as the relationships within it. The driving force of a team is its member's ability to create and maintain excellent relationships within the team that can add an extra dimension and robustness to the team dynamic.

* This attitude can be used by our team to focus on the gratitude and the vitally important benefits that the team brings to our own lives. It can be used to strengthen and deepen the relationships with it and maximise the opportunities that await a strong and united team.

Our team becomes stronger by:

* Displaying a positive attitude on and off the pitch

* Everyone making the right decisions for the team

* Have an unshakeable belief that we can achieve our target

* Believe in the strength of the team

* Always want more - always give more

* Focus on our communication

* Be demanding with yourself

* Be fresh and well prepared to win

* Focus on being mentally stronger and always keep going until the end

* When we play away from home, believe in our identity and play the football we love to play at home

* Stick together

* Stay grounded and humble as a player and a person

* Show the desire to win in all that you do

* Enjoy and contribute to all that is special about being in a team - don't take it for granted

by espnstar.com

Tags: Arsenal, Bolton, Jose Mourinho, games

Wenger taken aback by Platini attack

Arsene Wenger admits he is stunned by Michel Platini's attack on him in an interview with a French newspaper.

Platini, the head of European football's governing body, fired a couple of broadsides at the Arsenal manager during a frank interview with Grenoble daily Dauphine Libere, which was published on Tuesday.

The former France international slammed Wenger for having a business mentality rather than a football one.

And he also tore into the Gunners boss for calling for the introduction of video replays to rule on questionable refereeing decisions.

Wenger has been taken aback by Platini's criticisms.

"I am stunned by the aggressive content of Platini's words," he told L'Equipe.

"I am effectively a supporter of video assistance for referees, like all coaches, and I believe UEFA have an important role to play in this.

"I am for sporting justice and UEFA must be the guarantor of it."

Wenger added: "I am a supporter of good management of clubs, for financial equilibrium.

"And UEFA must equally support this idea. I am fighting for the future of the game and of football.

"I don't see why UEFA should take umbrage at ideas that are different from theirs."

In Platini's interview with Dauphine Libere, Wenger's name was raised during a question about the introduction of video technology.

Platini replied: "I like to talk about football, him (Wenger) about business. We must stop with Wenger and all that."

Platini then said he hoped video assistance would never come into football, adding: "It would make me happy that Arsene Wenger never sees it."

Later in the interview, Platini again targeted Wenger when asked about his thoughts on Romanian side CFR Cluj's unexpected victory over Roma in the Champions League last week.

"That is what makes football so great," Platini said. "It is what people like Wenger do not want, little clubs beating the big clubs, because they want their business."

by espnstar.com

Tags: Arsene Wenger, European, football, Michel Platini, UEFA, news