Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, says Chelsea’s triumph in the Europa League is a “reward for failure”.

The Gunners London rivals, defeated Benfica 2-1 in the finals played at the Amsterdam ArenA, but the Frenchman was not impressed and called for UEFA to stop clubs from dropping into the Europa League from the Champions League.

When he was asked if Chelsea winning the trophy made him jealous, he replied: “No, no. You just wonder once again, you have two teams who are basically in the final who were in the Champions League.

“We raised that question many times at UEFA.

“Is it right to reward teams basically for failure? Their target at the start of the season was the Champions League, not to win the Europa League.

“The teams who go through to the last 16 of the Champions League don’t have a chance afterwards.

“If I had won the Europa League like Chelsea, I’d have been happy as well.

“It’s a trophy. But it would be easiest if no clubs from the Champions League dropped down. Then you can say that the teams who start the Europa League fight in it together.”

Barcelona head coach Tito Vilanova has revealed that he will return to New York to receive cancer treatment following the club’s game with Valladolid on Sunday.

The Camp Nou trainer spent 10 weeks in the US earlier in 2013 to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy but returned to join the squad in early April and has been the active coach in the weeks since then.

Vilanova had planned on receiving further treatment at the end of the season but he and the club have agreed that he can return to New York on Monday but he is expected to be back on the touchline for next Sunday’s clash with Espanyol.

He told reporters on Saturday: “Next week, I’ll be in New York again for therapy. But I’ll be back for the game against Espanyol.” Following the confirmation from the coach, the Catalan giants confirmed the short leave of absence and explained that the club sealing the Liga title early had brought the treatment forward from the summer. “The pioneering treatment has been developed at a specialised centre and is proving particularly effective,” Barcelona revealed in a statement. “It was originally planned for this summer but as Barca has now clinched the league title it has been advanced to next week. Tito Vilanova will be away from Barcelona from Monday to Friday.”

It was utter chaos in the end. Jose Mourinho had been sent off and was watching the game in the dressing room, Pepe was barking orders from the sidelines despite not having even been in the matchday squad, club captain Iker Casillas looked on sadly from the bench and Cristiano Ronaldo was absent after kicking out at Gabi and earning himself a red card. Madrid were about to lose a derby date to local rivals Atletico for the first time in 14 years and with it, they had lost their heads and also their dignity. This was a damaging defeat – and it was all Mourinho’s making. The Portuguese coach claimed later that his team had deserved to win and reportedly waited for referee Carlos Clos Gomez in the car park after the game, telling the official: “Go and celebrate with them [Atletico]!” But he always was a sore loser. Three times Madrid had hit the post during the first 90 minutes, yet they were unable to kill off Atletico as they had done in his previous eight derbies. So Mourinho will go down as the first Blancos coach to lose the fixture since 1999 – and he will also go down as a failure after claiming just three trophies in his three seasons at the capital club.

One Copa del Rey, one Liga and a Spanish Supercopa in three years is scant return for a coach who had won as many titles in a single season at Inter before making the move to Madrid and who had been expected to realise the club’s Decima dream. But on Friday it was Atletico celebrating their own Decima (a 10th Copa del Rey), as Real reflected on their latest loss. Mourinho bemoaned bad luck. “It is not the result we deserved, but that’s the way it is. In football, everything is forgotten about – the refereeing, hitting the post… The history books will remember the winner and that is Atletico.” True enough, yet he himself has had his fair share of good luck in winning trophies over the years. As Diego Simeone conceded afterwards, good luck is necessary to win any title. But it arrives for a reason. “Without the group there is no team,” the Argentine added. He was talking about his own players and their impressive collective spirit, but he could easily have been to referring to the disharmony and distress at Mourinho’s Madrid. The in-fighting, the fall-outs and the feuds finally took their toll on the club in the current campaign and the results are there for all to see: this is the worst season in Mourinho’s coaching career. Only the Spanish Supercopa was added to the club’s cabinet in 2012-13 and that was way back in August. So Mourinho started the season with a trophy, but failed to pick up a title at the business end of the calendar for the first time in any of his full campaigns at Porto, Chelsea, Inter or Madrid. “It is my worst season,” he admitted afterwards. “For many it would have been a good season but for me it’s terrible because I have never [previously] failed to win a major title. When the responsibility falls to a single person, you can say I have been a failure this season.” He has – and Mourinho’s Real reign represents a black mark on an otherwise brilliant coaching

career. He has had his moments in Spain, of course, including last season’s record win in La Liga and the Copa del Rey success against Barcelona in his first season at the club. But it’s not nearly enough and self-criticism is needed after Friday’s failure. While Simeone’s side sealed success through hard work, unity and team spirit, Mourinho’s men surrendered with petulance, poor discipline, ill temper and internal strife. Raul Albiol had been partly to blame for Atletico’s opening goal, yet he has been largely ignored by Mourinho for the last three seasons and was only in the side due to the coach’s castigation of Pepe. Casillas, meanwhile, looked on with sadness from the bench as Diego Lopez flapped at a cross which led to the winner in extra-time. Lopez has been outstanding since signing in January, but Mourinho’s treatment of club captain and symbol Iker has caused deep divisions and most of the Madrid players would have been happier with their on-pitch leader behind them on Friday – particularly, perhaps, as he had never conceded in six final wins with Madrid and Spain. On the sidelines, Mourinho himself failed to set an example to his players as he was dismissed for a fierce verbal volley of abuse at Clos Gomez in protesting the award of a free kick to Atletico. And like so many times before in his tenure, his highly strung stars were playing on the limit and it was Cristiano, cynical and petulant as things did not go his way, who saw red for an unseemly lunge at Gabi.

In truth, the forward had been fortunate to escape earlier punishment for (among many misdemeanours) a crude kick at Juanfran as the defender went down injured and he was booked for dissent prior to his dismissal. But instead of offering a calming influence on the sidelines, Madrid’s coaching staff and players raged at the referee for every decision which went in Atletico’s favour. That hardly helped, even if Diego Costa was extremely lucky to avoid punishment for hitting out at Pepe as the game got ugly late on. “Provoking, [playing] dirty and hopeless,” Swansea’s Spanish defender Angel Rangel had written on Twitter after Madrid’s Champions League elimination to Dortmund at the end of April. It seemed somewhat harsh at the time after Mourinho’s men had gone down fighting with a 2-0 win, but it summed up exactly what went on in this match. Madrid lost their heads, they lost the game and they lost a trophy. Now, they are losing Mourinho, too. But on Friday’s evidence, that’s quite possibly the best news of all.

Ghana winger Gladson Awako has stated that he is enjoying his spell with Congolese giants Tout Puissant Mazembe and he is looking forward for greater things and also to help take the club to higher heights.

“Everything is going on well for me here and I am enjoying my football so much,” Awako told 90 Minutes. “My dream is to help take the club to greater heights by winning trophies both domestically and on the continent.”

He added: “So far everything is in order and I am very happy and thank God for that.”

The former Ghana Under-20 midfielder has been one of the key men in the set of former coach Lamine N’diaye and has featured in most of their continental and domestic games.

Awako scored his first league goal for the reigning Congolese league champions in their 6-0 thrashing of Dauphins Noirs two weeks ago.

The former Kpando Heart of Lions player and Berekum Chelsea player was signed by the Ravens alongside four other Ghanaians namely Solomon Asante, Yaw Frimpong, Daniel Nii Adjei and Richard Kissi-Boateng during the last transfer window.

The team commenced non-residential training in Accra almost three weeks ago before moving to their base camp in Nungua where they shuttle to the La beach soccer arena for two daily training sessions on sand.

The players who boast of being super fit due to the level of stamina required for the sport, have been put through their paces by interim head coach Maxwell Kpeglo who has conceded that although his boys are inexperienced, they do not lack in skill, determination and the hunger to succeed.

”We are venturing into the unknown but to me that is a positive challenge and the players all agree that this is their time to make their country proud and also make a name for themselves.”

President of the GBSA Yaw Ampofo Ankrah is optimistic that ”Team Ghana” will live up and above their underdog status and match their more experienced opponents from South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroon.

”My only fear is that the boys may be challenged by nerves in the opening game since it will be their debut at the African level but in terms of sheer guts and playing ability, if they get going, we will give the big boys of African beach soccer a shock.”

Not everyone was happy after the squad had been announced. One disappointed beach-baller Joseph Tornado said that he was extremely disappointed at not making the final team.

”I know I should be in that team because I did my best but the selectors did not think so. All the same life goes on and I will be praying for them to win.”

The contingent to Morocco also includes an assistant coach, team doctor, a masseur, GBSA executives and media men.

The event is to cost a whopping GHC 780,000.00 which is almost a 50% increase of the GHC 519,378.00 organizers spent on last year’s event.

The event will see twelve strong teams pitching against each other and cyclists taking to some of the principal towns and cities to showcase their skill and potential.

CEO of Promasidor Ghana Limited, producers of leading beverage product Cowbell, Olivier Thiry expressed his company’s delight at the growth of this event and reiterated his outfit’s commitment to the development of the sport.

He added that together with other supporting partners, they are looking forward to 13 gruesome days of exciting cycling that could match up with the very best around the world.

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Joseph Yammin who graced the occasion applauded the sponsor’s effort in complementing the roles of government.

The Chairman of the Ghana Cycling Federation Mohammed Sahnoun spoke to JoySports and expressed his warmest gratitude to the sponsors for supporting the event from its early stages to the heights in which the event has reached.

He added that there were plans for the sport to go beyond the boundaries of Ghana and modalities were being fashioned out.

Marketing Manager of Promasidor Ghana Limited, Festus Tetteh believes his company has benefitted immensely by associating itself with the event and is already looking forward to the race.

‘Promasidor Ghana Limited as a company is happy to associate itself with an event of this magnitude and we are excited to be associated with it. We are not shying away from the fact that the cost element is on the high side but these are exciting times for the sport and the trickling down effect for our company cannot be discounted.’

The tour is set to commence on the 27th of this month till the 8th day of June 2013 and is set to cover a distance of 2516km across the length and breadth of the country.

The 35-year-old Drogba led his country at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa this year but the team exited at the quarter-finals stage. As a result, the former Chelsea star was axed from the squad for March’s World Cup qualifier against Gambia.

Despite Drogba’s 96 caps and 60 international goals, Lamouchi has resisted the urge to recall the Galatasaray veteran. Ivory Coast lead their World Cup qualifying group by one point from Tanzania. Morocco have two points while Gambia prop up Group C with one point.

Manchester City’s Kolo Toure was also overlooked.

With his previous deal expiring at the end of the season, the Blues appeared determined to allow the England midfielder to walk away for free.

But Lamps, who was being courted by MLS side LA Galaxy, has thrashed out terms to remain at the club he loves.

The veteran midfielder said: “I’m absolutely delighted. Everybody knows I always maintained the dream was to stay at Chelsea.

“We’ve been talking for ages and even though it went on for quite a period it was always amicable.

“I want to thank Roman Abramovich for everything he’s done in making the dream a reality.

“I love this club, the staff, the players and especially the supporters, who have treated me fantastically since the day I arrived.

“The thought of helping the club to more success in the forthcoming years is all I ever wanted. I couldn’t be happier.”

The 34-year-old capped a record-breaking individual season last night by skippering Chelsea to glory in the Europa League final against Benfica.

He equalled Bobby Tambling’s club record of 202 goals and then bettered it by scoring a brace in the 2-1 win at Aston Villa on Saturday.

And Lampard will relish the opportunity to add to his tally next term — when Jose Mourinho is expected to return for a second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.

The Porcupine Warriors have been banned temporarily from their home grounds following unruly fan behaviour during their league fixture against Medeama.

The Kumasi giants have questioned the power of the executive committee to issue such fiat and have served notice they are usurping the powers of the Disciplinary Committee of the FA.

“There are a whole lot of lapses in the release that came from the FA,” Kotoko spokesperson Dr Ernest Opoku told Accra-based Joy FM.

“The decision should have come from the disciplinary committee or a special committee, unless of course the Executive Committee which is a statutory body of the FA is the special committee.

“And even in doing so, before you can suspend or ban a club, you will have to do a hearing first. The Executive Committee can close down the Baba Yara Stadium but they can’t ban Kotoko, that is what the law states.”

As a result of them ban Kotoko’s next game against Aduana will be honoured at Sunyani.

Barcelona star Xavi has labelled the treatment Spain team-mate Iker Casillas has received at Real Madrid this season as “terrible”.

The goalkeeper has been exiled from the first-team by Jose Mourinho and regularly criticised by the coach in public, with the Santiago Bernabeu boss preferring to select January signing Diego Lopez between the sticks.

Xavi has been dismayed to see his club rival and international colleague go through such a hard time and says it is not what a player of Casillas’ standing deserves.

“I don’t like to see an important player like Iker going through something like this,” he told a press conference.

“It is terrible and I don’t like it at all. Not so long ago they were putting him forward for the Ballon d’Or and now he’s being discarded.

“He’s my friend, he is a role model for a lot of people, he is captain of Spain’s national team – he doesn’t deserve this. I don’t know if Mourinho will continue [at Real Madrid] or not.”

Xavi’s long-term fitness is often an issue debated when Barca’s squad is analysed but the iconic midfielder insists he is still as keen as ever to play regularly – both for club and country.

The 33-year-old added: “Physically, I am prepared to keep going – that’s why I signed a three-year contract extension.

“I haven’t left the national team and I want to be with Spain for the Confederations Cup and World Cup 2014. I want to keep performing to a high level and I see myself being able to do so.

“I enjoy playing every three days – that’s how you can build up rhythm and form. I want to be with Spain for the Confederations Cup and I want to win it.

“There are a lot of games to get through but that’s because of the way the calendar is. At the end of the season, your legs are tired.”

The Camp Nou club’s latest Liga title was Xavi’s seventh in a star-studded career that has also seen him win three Champions League medals.

The end is in sight. Jose Mourinho draws ever closer to a Real Madrid exit at the conclusion of his third term in Spain. But before the end comes the Copa del Rey final – and he wants to win it.

Mourinho left Porto, Chelsea and Inter on excellent terms with almost all of his players, but the same cannot be said of Madrid. The Portuguese has fallen out with virtually each member of his squad over the last few months and a summer separation now looks to be the only option for all concerned. However, with a trophy up for grabs on Friday, the 50-year-old will ask those footballers for one last effort – a final flourish.

Jose’s tenure in Madrid was kick-started by the capture of the Copa del Rey in 2011, when Madrid beat Barcelona at the showpiece in Valencia. La Liga then followed last season, with the Spanish Supercopa added at the beginning of the current campaign. A second Primera Division title eluded the Portuguese, though, after a stuttering start saw his side lose too much ground to Barca, while the Decima dream remains just that as Mourinho watched his team lose three straight semi-finals in the Champions League – in 2010-11, 2011-12 and again this term.

Nevertheless, a fourth trophy would represent a satisfactory conclusion to his three-year tenure. That is what the club are focusing on now and the squad dined together on Tuesday in a bid to promote team spirit and build morale ahead of the Copa final on Friday, when the Blancos face city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Perhaps tellingly, Mourinho was absent at the lunch organised by his players. But despite the bad blood, they will want to win Friday’s final just as much as their coach.

Captain Iker Casillas will be on the bench once again as Diego Lopez starts in goal, but Mourinho should swallow his pride and pick Pepe for the derby clash on Friday.

Pepe recently upset Mourinho by publicly criticising his coach after the 4-3 win over Valladolid, when he told Canal Plus that his boss should show more respect to Casillas.

Mourinho hit back by claiming that Pepe’s problem was Rapahel Varane, the brilliant 20-year-old defender who has displaced the Portugal centre-back in the team this term. Now, however, Mourinho has a problem too: Varane is sidelined.

The young Frenchman injured his knee in the weekend draw at Espanyol and has since undergone surgery to repair the problem. He will miss the final and has almost certainly played his final game under Mourinho at Madrid.

That leaves the coach with a dilemma. Sergio Ramos is expected to be fit for the final after two weeks out, but the Portuguese appears not to trust Raul Albiol or Ricardo Carvalho. So he has to play Pepe.

Ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund, Mourinho asked his players for one big effort – and he got it as Madrid won 2-0 to miss out by a single strike in the 4-3 aggregate defeat.

Now he needs another – from Pepe and the rest of his players too. La Liga was finally lost at the weekend, although it had left their reach a long, long time ago. So Friday’s fixture is now all that matters for Mourinho at Madrid. A happy ending is impossible; the scars run too deep and the divisions are too painful. Yet victory against Atletico will bring Mourinho’s spell at Madrid to an amicable conclusion. And that is what everyone at the club will want: a final flourish.

Uganda are almost close to concluding a deal to play Ghana in an international friendly on June 1, Goal Ghana can exclusively reveal.

The Cranes are scheduled to play Liberia in a June 8 World Cup qualifier in Kampala whiles the Black Stars are due to play Sudan away and both sides are hoping to use the warm-up games to smoothen rough edges.

Goal Ghana checks have it that Libya have approached the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) for a friendly on the same date and are ready to bear all the cost, but the Ugandans see their west African counterparts as better opponents ahead of the Lone Star game.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Goal Ghana, the Fufa head of communications Rogers Mulindwa confirmed that they are in talks with the Ghana FA and the deal is almost through.

“The true position is that Ghana is among the countries we are considering,” Mulindwa said. “We have not reached a conclusion yet, but Ghana is our key target.”

“The two FAs were to meet in Cairo to finalise things and I’m yet to be briefed by my FA president. However, we are closer to playing Ghana than Libya,” he added.

Mulindwa said the friendly will also serve as an opportunity for a yet-to-be appointed coach to test his charges.

He said: “We shall have a new coach in place before the end of this month so it is important to give him a game ahead of the big game.”

Serbian Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic, a former SC Villa and Rwanda coach, is widely expected to replace Bobby Williamson, who was sacked in April

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson in South Florida.

The state attorney’s office confirmed Thursday that a Broward circuit judge issued a warrant May 7 against Johnson for failing to report to his probation officer.

Johnson received a year of probation last September after pleading no contest to a domestic violence charge involving his former wife, reality TV star Evelyn Lozada.

The six-time Pro Bowl player was arrested in August after Lozada said he head-butted her during an argument. She quickly filed for divorce, which was finalized days before his conviction. They only had been married since July 4.

Johnson was cut by the Miami Dolphins shortly afterward. He previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.

Lozada is on the “Basketball Wives” TV show.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press

Tottenham have launched an ambitious €12 million move to sign Barcelona striker David Villa in the summer – though the switch could hinge on Champions League qualification.

Villa’s representatives have told Spurs that he would be very keen to move to the north London club should they match his wage demands, with Spurs prepared to offer €130,000-a-week to land the Spain international.

Tottenham are planning a summer overhaul of their attacking options and will listen to offers for Emmanuel Adebayor, who has scored just five Premier League goals this season and has an uncomfortable relationship with manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Spurs can clinch a place in the Premier League top four on the final day of the season on Sunday if they beat Sunderland and Arsenal fail to win at Newcastle.

A place in next season’s Champions League would be worth at least €39m to the Londoners and would significantly increase their summer spending budget.

Villa, 31, has emerged as a leading target and the club believe they can convince him to accept a cut on his €165,000-a-week salary at Barca, although his agent Victor Onate has been described as “difficult” and would demand a significant agent’s fee.

Spurs tried to rival Arsenal for Villa’s signature in the January transfer window but Tito Vilanova’s side refused to sell Spain’s all-time top scorer midway through the season.

The Gunners are believed to have cooled their interest in Villa while Barcelona are now prepared to sell the striker in the summer as they look to freshen up their squad.

Villa has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season but has struggled for form and fitness since suffering a broken leg in December 2011.

The former Valencia man is eager for a fresh start and would welcome a move to the Premier League. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is ready to adjust the club’s strict wage budget this summer to convince Gareth Bale to sign a new contract and to attract star names to White Hart Lane.

In addition to Villa, Villas-Boas also wants a powerful striker to lead the line as a replacement for Adebayor and remains interested in long-term target Leandro Damiao of Brazilian club Internacional.

Spurs are also monitoring Christian Benteke’s situation but are not prepared to match Aston Villa’s €23m asking price for the Belgian following his 19 Premier League goals this season.

Adebayor has come to life in the final weeks of the campaign but has frustrated both the Spurs staff and the crowd with his below-par performances since completing a €6m switch from Manchester City last August.

Villas-Boas has an uneasy relationship with the Togolese after he complained about his lack of first-team opportunities earlier in the season.

Adebayor’s wage demands means Spurs may find it difficult to find a buyer for the ex-Arsenal forward and Villas-Boas only wants to sell the 29-year-old once he has a replacement in place.

The 27-year-old, who was signed during the winter transfer by the Allsvenskan runners-up, has been a revelation in the middle of the field earning praises from sporting director Sony Karlson who describes him as a complete player.

“I am enjoying my time here at Hacken and everything is going on well. I take it game after game and I believe I can help take the club to where they want to be,” Ayarna told Goal Ghana.

“I am focusing on my club football, whenever they watch the Swedish league and think I can help the Black Stars, I will honour it.”

Ayarna added: “I don’t really talk much about it because you can never determine in issues relating to national team call-ups.”

The former Boston College student signed a short contract with the Wasps till the end of the season. He has previously played for Swedish side GAIS as well as American side Boston Olympiacos during his education at the University of Boston.

Olympiakos officials are furious over reports in England that Boateng is on the verge of signing for Fulham and will report the Ghanaian to FIFA.

Insiders of the Greek side have told MTNFootball.com that they already have a one-year deal with Boateng as they await the verdict from FIFA over his legal battle with Dnipro.

The midfield anchorman has been training with Olympiakos in recent months while taking his legal battle with his former Ukrainian club to Fifa.

But news that the Ghana midfielder was the west London club’s guest for their recent home match against Reading having completed the formalities of a move to Craven Cottage has infuriated Olympiakos.

The Greek side are monitoring moves at Fulham before taking their complaint to the world governing body.

Fulham had been on the brink of signing the 29-year-old both in January and last summer but the deal fell through on both occasions.

Boateng is believed to have even had a medical at the club’s Motspur Park headquarters in January before the Cottagers enlisted lawyers to investigate the legitimacy of his contract with Ukrainian club Dnipro.

Boateng’s camp claimed that his deal with Dnipro, who he joined in the summer of 2011, had been annulled but Fulham were unwilling to award him a contract until they received proof that his claim was watertight.

Fulham are satisfied that the Ghana international is a free agent and that he is now available for a move to Craven Cottage.

Boateng is set to be confirmed as a Fulham player soon after the Premier League transfer window opens next Monday.

AC Milan star Mario Balotelli says he will walk off the pitch if he is racially abused again, after he and teammate Kevin-Prince Boateng were subjected to monkey chants in their match against Roma.

The Serie A game on Sunday was halted after the chants began, but eventually continued and finished 0-0, with Milan holding onto third place in the league.

Balotelli has been the subject of abuse before, and though he stated that he would stay on the pitch previously, he now says he has changed his mind on the issue.

“I always said that if [racism] happened in the stadium I will just do like ‘nobody says nothing and I don’t care’,” Balotelli told CNN. “But this time I think I’ve changed my mind a little bit. If it’s going to happen one more time, then I’m going to leave the pitch because it’s so stupid.

“I spoke with Prince. I was about to leave the pitch on Sunday, but they thought I wanted to leave because we had some difficulty with the game.

“I said ‘no, it’s better we play and I will talk’, that’s it. But if it wasn’t for this reason then I was going to leave the pitch on Sunday.”

Roma was fined 50,000 euros on Monday by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), and the club warned its fans about future conduct.