Serbia starlet Branislav Ivanovic has played down talk linking him with Chelsea and a number of top Italian sides.
Ivanovic caught the eye during the European Under-21 Championship in Holland over the summer and has reportedly been scouted by none other than Chelsea manager Avram Grant when playing for Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia.
Juventus and Inter are believed to be interested in the 23-year-old and reports in Italy on Tuesday morning claim that Milan are aiming to sign either the Serb or Chelsea's own Brazilian defender Alex.
However, Ivanovic is only focused on the job at hand with Lokomotiv at present and is unwilling to let himself dream of Serie A or The Premier League.
'For now I am only thinking about Lokomotiv,' Ivanovic is quoted in a national newspaper.
'England or Italy? That's a hard one. I don't want to mess my head up by worrying about that.'
30 October 2007
Parma defender Fernando Couto was banned for three matches by the Italian league Tuesday for spitting at an opponent.
The incident with Livorno forward Erjon Bogdani occurred during Parma's 3-2 win Sunday.
Couto will miss games with Palermo, Siena and Juventus.
29 October 2007
Italian referee Mauro Bergonzi will not officiate in this week's matches and looks set to be dropped for a longer period after wrongly awarding two penalties against Juventus on Saturday.
Juve lost 3-1 at Napoli having been level at 1-1 before Maurizio Domizzi converted both controversial spotkicks.
Bergonzi decided Giorgio Chiellini fouled Ezequiel Lavezzi despite replays showing he won the ball and the official pointed to the spot again after former Juve striker Marcelo Zalayeta dived over keeper Gianluigi Buffon.
The referee has not been selected for any of Tuesday's Serie B games or Wednesday's Serie A matches, the Italian Soccer Federation Web site (www.figc.it) said.
Media reports have said referees' chief Pierluigi Collina could now ban Bergonzi for as much as a month and then keep him in Serie B for longer.
An online petition asking for the referee to be struck off has received thousands of signatures on a well-known Juventus fan Web site.
Zalayeta could also face a suspension for diving when the league's disciplinary committee meet this week.
Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri said he hoped his club were not being victimised because of their role in last year's match-fixing scandal, which involved clubs securing favourable referees.
Juve were stripped of two titles and demoted in the affair but won promotion straight back to the top flight last term.
"We have already paid for the past, two championships and a relegation. We want to be treated like everyone else," he told Italian media.
27 October 2007
AS Roma midfielder David Pizarro has said players take too many pharmaceutical supplements in the modern game.
A debate has raged in Italy for several years about the legality of supplements after Juventus were discovered to have used several substances such as creatine to help players recover fitness during the 1990s.
Endless court proceedings failed to come to a proper conclusion and an Italian judge is now investigating the use of vitamins throughout soccer to see if any banned substances were used and if any deaths can be linked to the cases.
"Yes it is true (players take too many pharmaceuticals) and I talk in general. It happens because we play too many games and we always need to recover," Chilean Pizarro told Gazzetta dello Sport on Saturday.
"You could say no, but then you stay outside the squad," he said.
25 October 2007
World Cup-winning Azzurri coach Marcelo Lippi has declared himself ready to retake a managerial hotseat.
The boss-turned-pundit told the Gazzetta dello Sport, "I don't have a specific club in mind, but I'm ready for a new job. Working on TV has been enjoyable, but it was never going to be long-term. I'd love to coach in England, but since I can't speak English I'm at a massive disadvantage; after all, a manager has to manage his players. AC Milan? They already have a superb boss [in Carlo Ancelotti]; he's a great guy to have in charge."
Lippi resigned from the national team after that World Cup Final win over France in summer but, with Roberto Donadoni's new-look Azzurri struggling to hit form, many have called for the ex-Juventus man's return.
Some have even speculated that he would serve well as an assistant to Donadoni, but Lippi has laughed off such suggestions.
"Donadoni's a top coach and doesn't need my help," he puffed.
"The current Azzurri squad is fantastic and have only drawn and lost once against France. I'm sure that they will show the pedigree becoming of World Champions when they face Scotland [in November at Hampden] and consequently qualify."
Lippi is noted for having an eye for a player and, with that in mind, has made an unusual recommendation for the Ballon d'Or prize, awarded to the World Player of the Year by France Football magazine.
"I think that Andrea Pirlo deserves the prize," he said of the AC Milan midfielder.
"He's won as much as Kaka has and, of course, he's a World Cup winner. He's highly rated worldwide and is one of the few players can really exemplify a side."
24 October 2007
Didier Drogba's agent has hinted his client is unsettled at Chelsea and would consider a move to Italy or Spain.
Speculation over the future of Drogba is refusing to go away following the departure of Jose Mourinho and now the player's agent has added fuel to the fire by saying a move away could happen.
Lyon are keen to take him back to France but it seems as though the striker would only consider a move to Italy or Spain if he was to leave Stamford Bridge.
Drogba's agent, Etienne Mendy, told Sky Italia: "It's no secret that Didier likes Milan a lot as he jets off there whenever he gets some time off, but we can't discount the other big Italian side Juventus. It's clear that his relationship at Chelsea isn't as good as it was when Jose Mourinho was there, but he is a professional and knows that you can't be attached to a coach. But if he is to leave Chelsea it will only be for La Liga or Serie A."
24 October 2007
Obafemi Martins has dismissed reports suggesting he is unsettled at Newcastle.
Martins has produced a number of eye-catching performances this season but competition for places at St James' Park is fierce.
The former Internazionale striker has been linked with a January return to Serie A, with Juventus understood to be interested.
However, the Nigerian insists he will not be going anywhere, and has pledged his future to Magpies manager Sam Allardyce.
"I'm very happy and settled at Newcastle, I don't take any notice of the stories saying I'll leave," Martins said in the Daily Express.
"And if Sam Allardyce is here for five years I will be here for five years as well. That is how much I enjoy playing for him. I don't think I'll be going anywhere while Sam is here. I'm scoring goals and I'm playing games, that's all you can ask for as a striker."
Martins, who joined Newcastle in August 2006, admits he did struggle to adjust to the English game initially.
He explained: "It wasn't that easy when I first came to Newcastle and it took me a few months to learn about the Premier League, about England and living in Newcastle. I had to adapt to the style of football and it took me some time, but I'm very happy here."
23 October 2007
Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved was banned for two matches Tuesday for elbowing an opponent in the Serie A last week.
Nedved was sent off in the closing minutes of Juventus' 1-0 win over Genoa on Sunday and will miss Saturday's game at Napoli and next week's match against Empoli.
The Italian soccer league's disciplinary committee also suspended Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri for one match after he was dismissed from the sidelines for protesting.
Five other players were also banned for one to three matches for various offenses.
It is not the first time Nedved has lashed out at a Genoa player. The midfielder received a five-match ban last season for deliberately stepping on an opponent at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, when both teams played in the second division.
Juventus is second in the Serie A with 17 points, three behind Inter Milan but five more than Genoa, which is tied for fifth.
23 October 2007
Juventus goalkeeper Gigi Buffon has set his sights on emulating Alessandro Del Piero and becoming a Bianconeri legend.
The Azzurri custodian is a beloved figure amongst the Old Lady's faithful and was amongst Del Piero's most vocal supporters during his difficult period.
'I want to be a Juve idol like Del Piero,' Buffon told Rai Sport.
'I'd like to truly earn a place in the fans' hearts. I want to be a reference point for them and be remembered when I quit. My biggest wish is to win the Champions League in this shirt and continue to prove myself with the national side.'
Buffon has excelled in Juve's return to calcio's top table and been one of the reasons that they are currently sitting in second place.
'We are doing so well – much better than was expected in pre-season,' the ex-Parma man stated.
'We may not have the quality of the past, but we are a hard-working squad and we are sure that we can do just as well.'
Despite his passion for the Turin giants, Buffon finished by praising Milan's finest.
'Inter are strongest side in Italy and they have a strength in depth that nobody else has,' he admitted. 'But I think Kaka deserves the Ballon d'Or.'
22 October 2007
Reports in Serbian media suggest that Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson joined the race to sign highly-rated Lokomotiv Moscow defender Branislav Ivanović.
Ivanovic's spell with Lokomotiv Moscow is nearing its end and his future seems to lie in Manchester after City reportedly joined the chase for the €11m defender.
Some reports claim City already tabled an offer for Serbia international defender, even though they are facing tough competition in their city rivals Manchester United and Serie A titans Juventus who also expressed interest for the 22-year old.
Ivanovic is set to become the second Serbian defender after Nemanja Vidic to swap Russian Premier League for the Premiership.
