Monday, June 05, 2006 

Eto'o to Open Football Academies

Samuel Eto'o achieved a lot during the just-ended football season. He has said that except for one thing, he considers himself the happiest player of 2006. That one thing is Cameroon's failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They lost the ticket to Ivory Coast, after missing a last minute penalty in their last qualifying match against Egypt in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Ivory Coast is now considered the African team to beat.His achievements: Eto'o was voted African player of the year for the third consecutive time, being the first African to get a hat trick award. He emerged as FIFA's third best football player of the year after Barcelona teammate Ronaldinho and Chelsea's Frank Lampard. He won La Liga with Barcelona for the second consecutive time, the UEFA Champions League (where he was voted man of the match) and emerged with the title of pichichi, which is traditionally awarded to the best scorer in the Spanish league. He received several other distinguished awards from Cameroon, Turkey, Israel and Saudi Arabia in appreciation for his firm fight against racism in the game.His successes notwithstanding, the striker says Cameroon's unfortunate World Cup miss gave him new inspiration. Such a "tragedy" can be avoided in the future with good planning today. That is why he has wasted no time in launching the Foundation Samuel Eto'o (FSE), as well as a football academy in the Cameroon coastal town of Kribi.The football academy is the biggest project of the foundation, designed to unearth a new generation of Cameroon players. Other preoccupations of the foundation are in health and social activities.Speaking at a press conference in Yaounde on May 30, prior to the laying of a foundation stone, Eto'o announced to the applause of his audience that his project is not about a football academy -- but rather football academies. In other words, he explained, he is going to open as many centers as possible across the country, so every aspiring youth can have a chance to attend."As a footballer, the best I can do for youths in Cameroon is to give them a platform where they can learn how to play football and make a living out of it, and be successful in life, for a better tomorrow," Eto'o said.Eto'o disclosed that the Kribi center would recruit 300 of the best players between the ages of 10 and 13, who will undergo rigorous training."The most promising boys will be moved to Europe for professional careers," he added.He explained that he is concerned with training not only footballers but also "social ambassadors." As a result, the recruited team will be actively involved in health and social activities across the country.The foundation will seek methods of improving the health and medical facilities. For a start, he announced a symbolic donation to the government, "We already have some ambulances ... to hand over to the government."

3:09 PM | |

Thursday, June 01, 2006 

Eto'o launches football academy

Samuel Eto'o has launched a football academy designed to unearth a new generation of Cameroon footballers. Speaking at the academy's launch in Yaoundé, Eto'o said its initial intake will comprise of 300 boys aged 10-13.
The academy will cast its net across the whole country and recruit aspiring footballers who will also be involved in health and social activities.
Cameroon international Eto'o said: "The most promising boys will be moved to Europe for professional careers."
The cost of setting up the academy, which will be based in the southern town of Kribi, 260km from Yaoundé, was not disclosed.
"As a footballer, the best I can do for youths in Cameroon is to give them a platform where they can learn how to play football and make a living out of it," Eto'o said.
Eto'o is back in Cameroon after a hugely succesful season in Spain where he won the La Liga title and the Champions League crown with Barcelona.
He also became the first African to win the prestigious Pichichi award given to the top goalscorer in Spain's top division.
Eto'o was honoured for his achievements at a special banquet in the Cameroon capital on Wednesday.
The prolific striker was also presented with the 2005 African Footballer of the Year Award which he won for the third year running and dedicated it to all his team-mates.
"I hear that every time I'm playing even taxi drivers stop their work to support Barcelona.
"So how can I not succeed when the whole nation is behind me?" he wondered.

8:17 AM | |

Monday, May 29, 2006 

Eto'o tips Chelsea star for Milan switch

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has ruled out a move to AC Milan and has suggested the Italians should sign Chelsea's Didier Drogba instead.
With Chelsea set to sign Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan, the Rossoneri are looking for a replacement, and had targeted Eto'o.
However, the Cameroon international has scotched talk of a move, but has suggested that a swap deal involving Drogba and Shevchenko could be on the cards:
"I would suggest that Silvio Berlusconi signs Drogba. He is one of the best strikers in the world right now.
"What would happen if Milan called me? I would tell them to not waste their time because my answer would be no."

9:28 AM | |

Monday, May 22, 2006 

Eto'o credits Barca team mates with top scorer award

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o gave the credit to his team mates after he finished the Primera Liga season as top scorer with 26 goals.
The Cameroon international scored the opener in his side's 3-1 away defeat by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, in their delayed final game, to finish one ahead of David Villa.
"It has been a team effort although only one person gets the award. We have worked hard all season and have got our just rewards," Eto'o told reporters after the game.
It was a weakened side that ran out in San Mames with international players called up for the World Cup barred from playing by FIFA. Ronaldinho, Deco, Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez were all missing.
The game was of little consequence for either side with Barca already crowned league champions and Bilbao safe from relegation.
Also, the match came three days after Barca had beaten Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League final in Paris to earn their second European Cup.
Barca coach Frank Rijkaard professed himself satisfied with his team's performance though they clearly eased off after Eto'o's goal.
"Given the circumstances we have achieved our objectives," he said. "One was to help Eto'o score his goal, and the other was to give the youngsters a chance to help the team.
"Everyone did their bit and left a good impression." Absent from the bench alongside Rijkaard was his number two Henk ten Cate who left to become Ajax coach on Friday.
"He has left but I am pleased for him because he has earned a chance to coach a great team," he added.
Ten Cate has signed a two-year contract with Ajax, replacing the sacked Danny Blind.

10:26 AM | |

Monday, May 15, 2006 

Eto'o: We can shoot down Gunners

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o is not losing any sleep worrying about how to beat Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in Wednesday’s Champions League final.Lehmann’s late penalty save against Villarreal in the semi-finals helped preserve Arsenal’s remarkable record in Europe which has seen them stack up 10 successive clean sheets en route to the final.However, the Germany number one will be up against one of the most potent attacks in Europe when he faces Barca at the Stade de France.Eto’o is the top scorer in the Primera Liga with 25 goals – he has also struck five times in the Champions League – and he is confident he or one of his team-mates can find a breakthrough.“Arsenal have the best defence in the Champions League? Well, we have the best strikeforce in this competition,” he said.“We will try to find solutions to score, you don’t lose anything by trying, and that’s what we are going to do.”Eto’o is not prepared to face another failure in his career after two recent setbacks.In Cameroon’s final World Cup qualifier, team-mate Pierre Wome missed a last-minute spot-kick which would have clinched a place in Germany.And earlier this year, Eto’o missed a penalty in the African Nations Cup against Ivory Coast, ending a record 24-shot shoot-out and eliminating his side at the quarter-final stage. “Defeats are always painful,” said the 25-year-old.“I had to experience one not long ago when we missed a penalty in the last second of a game and my country didn’t qualify for the World Cup.“I don’t want to experience this again.”Eto’o claims he feels no added responsibility, despite being his team’s chief striker, and insists the mouth-watering Stade de France encounter will not just be a goalscoring contest between himself and Arsenal captain Thierry Henry.“There’s no battle between Henry and Eto’o,” he said.“He is an exceptional player but one player cannot win a game on his own.“He will do the best he can for Arsenal and I will do my best for Barcelona.“I feel no pressure being the team’s top scorer,” Eto’o added.“I always sleep well and I think I will sleep well the day before the final.“I will prepare for this final the same way I do for any other game. What I don’t want is to score and lose the game.“I don’t care who scores first – what I really want is to give everything and not have to think afterwards that I could have done better.“No-one can change God’s wish. That is why we have to give everything.”

10:44 AM | |

Thursday, May 04, 2006 

Racism: Eto’o wants AC Milan move

BARCELONA striker Samuel Eto’o wants a move to AC Milan. Controcampo says the Camerounian international has made direct contact with Milan officials, informing them of his desire to move to Italy next season.
Eto’o has admitted frustration with the racism received at certain Primera Liga stadia this season and reportedly sees winning the Liga and Champions League as the perfect way to end his career in Spain.

1:25 PM | |

Thursday, April 20, 2006 

Eto'o: Henry belongs here

Samuel Eto'o believes Thierry Henry should join Barcelona and feels he could forge an amazing partnership with the France star.
Henry, whose contract at Arsenal expires in the summer of 2007, has been continually linked with a switch to Barca at the end of the campaign.
Even though the Frenchman's arrival would represent a threat to his position as Barca's leading frontman, Eto'o would welcome Henry's presence at the club.
"It's very simple - Barca are one of the biggest clubs in the world and Thierry is one of the best strikers in the world," the prolific Cameroon international told L'Equipe.
"His place is at Barca. All the great players should play for great clubs. For me, there is not the slightest doubt.
"The only problem is (Barca coach Frank) Rijkaard - it's him who makes the team."
Henry's future in London seems to depend on whether the Gunners qualify for the Champions League next season.
They are out of the Champions League positions in the Premiership at the moment, with north London rivals Tottenham poised to claim the fourth and final place.
The Gunners, however, have made it into the semi-finals of Europe's elite competition and could qualify for the tournament next season as champions.
A move to Barca would be hard to turn down though and if that materialises, Eto'o's place could come under pressure.
The former Real Madrid striker would derive great pleasure in playing alongside the France international but would not insist on guarantees from the club if Henry was to join.
"Impossible," Eto'o added. "That's not my way of doing things. I've got no power at Barca. I play, I score goals - full stop.
"And if I have another good player next to me, that will help me score even more goals."
The African ace revealed he and Henry often talk on the phone but admitted he has not been urging his friend to leave Arsenal and move to Spain.
"We don't speak about it ever," he said. "What right have I got to influence him?
"Titi is a friend. It's not Barcelona that's brought us together. And besides, one doesn't play football forever.
"There is life outside football. There are other things we do together."
Eto'o, comfortably the leading scorer in the Primera Liga this season with 24 goals, spoke of his happiness at Barcelona by adding: "I'm playing the sort of football I like and I'm glad about that.
"I have four years left on my contract at Barcelona. Why would I want to complicate things?"

10:04 AM | |

 

Eto'o: La Liga before CL

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o claims the team's main objective is the league rather than success in Europe.
Despite the 11-point lead in the Primera Division, the Cameroon ace denied Barca had now turned their attention to the Champions League.
"The league is still not won, I think that we have a good advantage but the aim is not the Champions League, we are going for the league first," he said.
In Europe's premier club competition, though, Eto'o would like to have an all-Spanish final against Villarreal.
"For Spanish football, I hope that it happens but as much Villarreal as us know that, we will have to give our all in the two games that each have to play and then still rely on luck.
"The best way for us to approach the game with Milan is to play it as though it was the last match and it would be a problem if we wait to see how the game unfolds," he said.
Eto'o added that he is unconcerned about rumours linking the Catalans with Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
"If they bring Henry, Shevchenko, Adriano or even Ronaldo, what are you going to do.
"The club signed me in order to play and so the problem is for the coach not me. I am at Barca and I signed because I thought that this was the best for my career."
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10:01 AM | |

 

Barcelona on brink of Spanish title triumph

Madrid, April 20 (AP): FC Barcelona could become Spanish champion for the 18th time on Sunday.
The runaway leader will wrap up the league with four games to spare if it wins at Sevilla and second-place Valencia fails to beat Athletic Bilbao earlier in the day.
Barcelona is on the verge of repeating its feat of 1998 and 1999, when it was the last time a team to win consecutive Spanish titles, although striker Samuel Eto'o refuses to celebrate prematurely.
``We're playing at a very difficult stadium and we can't be sure of winning. Sevilla has a pretty good team and they're playing in front of their own fans,'' Eto'o said. ``They'll make it hard and we'll have to give our all.''
Barcelona, which moved closer to Champions League success on Tuesday with a 1-0 semifinal, first-leg victory at AC Milan, has 73 points from 33 games. Valencia has 62, Real Madrid 60 and Osasuna 59. Celta Vigo comes next with 54.
Barcelona, unbeaten in six league games, is so far ahead in the standings that coach Frank Rijkaard may rest several players with a view to Wednesday's second leg against Milan. The team will already lack injured forward Lionel Messi and defender Oleguer Presas.
Sixth-place Sevilla, which visited Schalke in a UEFA Cup semifinal, first leg later Thursday, seeks an improvement after failing to win any of its past three games.
Valencia has mounted a run of three victories which has given it an advantage over Madrid and Osasuna in the race for the runner-up slot providing a place in the group stage in next season's Champions League.
``It's down to us now and that's very positive and gives us a big advantage,'' Valencia's Portuguese defender Miguel told the club's Web site. ``Now we're winning, scoring and playing well. We're showing that we're a very talented team.''
Valencia visits Bilbao without Argentine forward Pablo Aimar, who left hospital on Wednesday after recovering from viral meningitis. Patrick Kluivert is available again after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in February.
No. 13 Bilbao, which has never played in the second division, is winless in three matches and has slipped back into the relegation dogfight.
Set to complete a third season without a trophy, its worst streak since 1953, Madrid's hopes of finishing second suffered a blow at Getafe last Sunday when it drew for the sixth time in seven games.
However, Madrid would expect to win on Sunday against last-place Malaga, which looks doomed to relegation and has only gained a point from its last five games at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The ailing powerhouse, whose goal tally in the league is its lowest since 2000, will again be without injured Ronaldo and Jonathan Woodgate, while Thomas Gravesen is doubtful.
David Beckham, who was dropped for the Getafe match, will hope for a recall.
Osasuna has won just once in its last four games but is still on course for a top-four finish which would provide the team with a debut in next season's Champions League.
Coach Javier Aguirre's side hopes to bounce back from last weekend's 1-1 draw with Malaga when it visits another struggler Mallorca on Sunday.
Facing a Champions League semifinal second leg with Arsenal three days later _ in which it bids to overturn a 1-0 deficit _ eighth-place Villarreal may be distracted when it hosts improving Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Sociedad, which looked a prime candidate for relegation a few weeks ago, has won twice and drawn once in its last three games under new coach Jose Mari Bakero.
Other 34th-round games are: Espanyol vs. Real Betis; Celta Vigo vs. Zaragoza; Cadiz vs. Deportivo La Coruna; Racing Santander vs. Getafe; and Alaves vs. Atletico Madrid.

9:59 AM | |