Vojvodina charged after Serbia Cup final walkout

Vojvodina Novi Sad have been charged by the Serbian FA (FSS) after abandoning their Cup final with Partizan Belgrade.



"Disciplinary charges have been pressed against the Vojvodina Novi sad club, their staff, officials and players," the FSS said in a statement following Wednesday's final.



"We believe that swift and comprehensive action is the best way to restore order, identify the perpetrators and make sure this doesn't happen again.



Vojvodina, led by coach Zoran Milinkovic, left the pitch in the 80th minute in protest at some controversial refereeing decisions, handing Partizan their 12th Cup title.



"What happened is a scandal of unseen proportions in the 63-year-old competition and the FSS has the strength as well as the capacity to deal with the problem and the individuals who caused it," the FSS statement added.



Partizan, who are also close to retaining their league title, led 2-1 in the final after midfielder Zvonimir Vukic converted a controversial spot kick and Vojvodina then had a goal disallowed and a penalty claim turned down.



Having sarcastically applauded referee Slobodan Veselinovic, the Vojvodina team headed for the tunnel and boycotted the trophy presentation.



Vojvodina's fans and president Ratko Butorovic, who was watching the match among the club's fans, also left in a hurry.



"We will accept any reasonable decision but we are bracing ourselves for further punishment after having the Cup title ripped away from our grasp," Butrovic had told reporters.



"We will forgive the referee if it turns out he had a bad day but this looks more like malicious intent and a case of double standards."



Partizan's board accused Vojvodina of undermining the Cup final with "unacceptable behaviour" before and during the match and the FSS for allowing it to happen.



"We would like to know why the FSS allowed Vojvodina to delay the kickoff by 25 minutes just because some of their fans were late and how the most coveted game in Serbia's club football got turned into a circus," it said.



"It appears the match started and ended when Vojvodina saw fit and their frivolous behaviour has ridiculed the very essence of the game's rulebook."



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Man City In Goalkeeping Crisis After Joe Hart Suffers Injury In Training

Reports are out claiming that Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has broken down in training.

The Daily Mail has revealed that the England international has given Manchester City a late-season injury scare after suffering a back injury in training.

It is said that the Eastlands club need Hart to stay fit for the next month as Shay Given’s long-term shoulder injury means that they only have unfancied Stuart Taylor as cover.

The 24 year old missed the second half of training at Carrington on Wednesday after his back seized up midway through the session.

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Redknapp defends Gomes after blunder

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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has refused to criticise goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes after his error against Real Madrid.



A relatively tame shot from Cristiano Ronaldo squirmed through the hands of Gomes as Real claimed a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane in the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash to progress 5-0 on aggregate.



But Redknapp refused to apportion blame onto the keeper.



"It was a mistake and it was a disappointing goal to concede but I'm not about to start blaming the keeper as he has been great for me ever since I took over as manager," said Redknapp.



"Gomes made a rare mistake but that is how it goes.



"He has made fantastic saves for us that he has had no right to make at times this season. I have no complaints."



Redknapp thinks Spurs were denied a couple of clear penalties, one coming as Luka Modric was bundled over by Xabi Alonso.



"It was definitely a foul on Modric but sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't," he said.



"Sometimes I am left wondering what the official behind the goal is supposed to be doing."



The Spurs boss feels that Real will have a battle on their hands if they are to come rivals Barcelona in the semi-finals.



"Barca are the best team I've seen in the last 30 years. I don't think there is anyone out there who can touch them," he concluded.



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Mexes out for the season after knee op

France defender Philippe Mexes underwent a successful operation on his torn cruciate knee ligament on Tuesday, but will not play again this season.



The operation lasted about half an hour and was said to have been "perfectly successful" with the 29-year-old due to remain in hospital for two to three days.



Roma's Mexes was injured during Sunday's 2-0 defeat at home to Juventus and is expected to be out for four months, meaning he will not play again this season.



A Roma statement at the time read: ''Philippe Mexes underwent tests which have revealed a lesion in his anterior cross ligament in his left knee. The player will need to undergo surgery and the time of recovery will be evaluated in the coming days.''



Mexes is out of contract with Roma in June and it has been widely reported that he will join Milan, though no official agreement has been announced.





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Wayne Rooney Drops The F-Bomb After Converting Penalty – Video

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney led his side to an impressive win against West Ham United last night. The Red Devils were down 2-0 at half time but came back to win the match 4-2.

Wayne Rooney bagged a hattrick in the match and made his emotions clear after converting a penalty kick for his third goal of the match.

The England striker then then drops some F-Bombs for the folks watching on television. Wonder what Sir Alex has to say about his striker’s emotion outflow. Check it out.

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Arsenal after £15 million Colombian - Video

Arsenal are reportedly chasing FC Porto's 25 year-old striker, Ramadel Falcao. Wenger is frustrated with both van Persie's injuries and Marouane Chamakh's inconsistent performances, and while Arsenal's Danish attacker Nicklas Bendtner showers in his own praise, Wenger has found a new striker to get him the important goals and goal threat next season.

Falcao is just what Arsenal need up front - a goalscoring striker - and has netted 23 goals in 28 games in the Portuguese League this season, while last year he managed an amazing 34 goals in 43 games. This goal flare has turned the head of some top European clubs incuding Valencia, AC Milan, and Arsenal's local rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, but Wenger will be hopin a £15 million will be enough to bring him to the Emirates.

FC Porto currently lead the Portuguese Liga, above fierce rivals Benfica, and it is ther Colombian strikers' valuable goals that have helped them to such a fortunate position. They will be reluctant to let thier superstar go, but with a big bid and the players mind on a possible transfer, it would be best for Jose Mournho's former club to let their player go.

Below you can see what he is capable of.

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Robert Pires Pondering Future After Aston Villa

Aston Villa midfielder Robert Pires is weighing up whether to retire or play abroad when his short-term contract with the club expires this summer.

The former Arsenal midfielder signed a six-month deal before Christmas and has made only a handful of appearances for the midlands club.

He said: “I’m still playing in the Premier League so I get noticed. People haven’t forgotten about me.

“I’m prepared to retire in May if that’s what it comes to.

“But I am also ready to go wherever an interesting proposition comes along – be it Qatar or the United States.

“I’ve even had an offer from Australia. But it’s a case of one thing at a time and I’ll look at that at the end of the season.”

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J.League games postponed after Japan earthquake

Norwich are a best price 3/4 to continue their promotion push against Bristol City tonight – see all the best odds here…



This month's remaining J.League games have been postponed in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the north east of Japan last week.



The matches affected are 19 in Division One and Division Two this coming weekend, a full programme on March 19 and 20, and Division Two's ten games scheduled for March 26 and 27.



The J.League Cup, set to kick-off on Wednesday, has also been postponed.



The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit the north-east coastline of the country forced the postponement of last weekend's league games and this week's Asian Champions League games involving Kashima Antlers and Nagoya Grampus.



"Things are very serious right now," J.League chairman Kazumi Ohigashi said.



"With the aftershocks continuing and (us being) unable to guarantee complete safety at all the stadiums, the J.League has made the decision to cancel all J1, J2 and Nabisco (League) Cup matches for the rest of March.



"The J.League, Nabisco Cup fixtures are tight as it is. We have no choice but to play games in July. The plan is to play the existing number of J.League and Nabisco Cup games, and to do that we have to play during the Copa America."



Ohigashi said he spoke with Vegalta Sendai President Yoichi Shirohata, who told him that the club was unable to function at the moment.



"He said the clubhouse and the stadium were in ruins," Ohigashi said. "Needless to say, the players aren't training. The foreign players have gone home and some of the players from Kansai have gone back, too.



"They're struggling to live over there. It's not about training or the game."



On Sunday, Japan Football Association (JFA) general secretary Kozo Tashima confirmed friendly internationals against Montenegro on March 25 at the Shizuoka Stadium, southwest of Tokyo, and New Zealand in the capital four days later would go ahead.



"The matches are still two weeks away and we need to send a message to the rest of the world," Tashima said.



Norwich are a best price 3/4 to continue their promotion push against Bristol City tonight – see all the best odds here…



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