UEFA Champions League 08/09

[Nipponyid]

The last edition of the Champions League may have only just come to an end, but the road to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome has already started to be mapped out.

The Road To Rome

The Final will be played on 27 May 2009.

The UEFA Champions League First knockout round


Chelsea FC (ENG) v Juventus (ITA)

Villarreal CF (ESP) v Panathinaikos FC (GRE)

Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) v FC Bayern München (GER)

Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) v FC Porto (POR)

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v FC Barcelona (ESP)

Real Madrid CF (ESP) v Liverpool FC (ENG)

Arsenal FC (ENG) v AS Roma (ITA)

FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)

Games to be played on;
1st leg 24/25.02.2009
2nd leg 10/11.03.2009

[Nipponyid]

Milan Set To Be Handed Champions League Place

The Rossoneri missed out on a place in Europe’s premier club competition after they only finished fifth in Serie A, following a hugely disappointing campaign.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who have been the dominant side in the competition over the past six years, winning two editions, and reaching a final, semi-final and quarter-final, were gearing themselves to play in the UEFA Cup in 2008/09.

However the Diavoli could now be on the verge of being granted a sensational back-door entry back into the Champions League. Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia could be expelled from the competition due to financial problems,

CSKA have been denied a license to play in the Bulgarian league, and the Bulgarian FA (BFU) has now demanded that they be expelled from Europe too.

The normal procedure is that the BFU send the runner-up Levski Sofia to the CL instead, however it is reported that instead of this, the highest UEFA ranked team not already in the competition will be the replacement, and this is Milan.

The Rossoneri would enter at the second preliminary round, and it would mean that Italy would have five teams in the Champions League, the others being Inter, Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina.

[sketch]

Porto Banned From The Champions League

Portuguese champions FC Porto have been barred from competing in next season's Champions League over a match-fixing scandal, Europen football's governing body UEFA said on Wednesday.

Last month, Porto were found guilty by the Portuguese league of fixing two league matches in 2003/04, the same season they won the Champions League - the world's richest club competition.

As a result the club was docked six points, the club's president Jorge Pinto da Costa was suspended for two years and Boavista were relegated to the second division for their part in match-fixing.

The club has not appealed against the points deduction, but da Costa has against his penalty.

The affair, which came to light in April 2004, also resulted in five referees being suspended for periods between two-and-a-half and six years for either accepting the offer of prostitutes after matches or one who received 2,500 euros prior to a match.

Porto - who were managed by former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho at the time of the scandal though he has not been implicated in the affair - won this season's league by a 20-point margin over rivals Sporting Lisbon.

[deanpurple]

Sporting will replace them, and I would think that Guimaraes would go in Sportings place.

[Nipponyid]

No Champions League Chance For Milan - UEFA Say.

The Rossoneri were hoping they would be able to squeeze themselves into the competition after both Porto and CSKA Sofia were kicked out of the competition after breaking various UEFA guidelines.



Reports in Italy claimed the Rossoneri had a great chance of being given a place in next season’s competition. However, UEFA have revealed that there is no chance of this happening.

“It is absolutely impossible that Milan play in next season’s Champions League,” said UEFA spokesman, William Gaillard.

“The participants are not chosen based on the highest co-efficient but on the number of teams a country is allowed to enter.

“Therefore there is no possibility whatsoever of Milan playing in the Champions League next season.”

Welcome back to the UEFA cup boys!!!

[deanpurple]

Better luck next season.

[Nipponyid]

Porto reinstated to Champions Leagu

Porto will be allowed to compete in next season's Champions League despite an ongoing investigation into the alleged bribery of referees, UEFA said on Monday.
European soccer's governing body said in a statement that Porto would be admitted into the competition because the investigation in Portugal had not yet been concluded.
UEFA spokesman William Gaillard added that "any sanctions brought against them (by UEFA) will apply from the following season".
UEFA had originally thrown Porto out of next season's Champions League after Portuguese soccer authorities took action against the club last month.
On Friday UEFA's own appeals body ordered the organisation's disciplinary panel to annul that decision pending a separate appeals process in Portugal.
The Disciplinary Commission of the Professional Portuguese Football League stripped Porto of six points and fined the club 150,000 euros ($230,400) after its probe of two matches in 2003-04.

Lucky f**kers!!

[whatsthepoint]

2008/09 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round

Rangers (Scotland) v Kaunas

Brann (Norway) v Ventspils

İnter Baku vs. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)

Tampere United v Artmedia

Anorthosis Famugusta v Rapid Vienna (Austria)

Domzale winner v Dinamo Zagreb

Panathinaikos (Greece) v Dinamo Tbilisi

IFK Goteborg winner v FC Basel (Switzerland)

Sheriff v Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Drogheda United v Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine)

Anderlecht (Belgium) v BATE

Beitar Jerusalem (Israel) v Wisla Krakow (Poland)

Fenerbahce (Turkey) v MTK Budapest (Hungary)

Aalborg (Denmark) v Modrica

First legs: 29/30 July - Second legs: 5/6 August

Draw for third qualifying round takes place on the 1st August 2008

[whatsthepoint]

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Third qualifying round draw:

Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna v Olympiakos
Vitoria Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg/Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb
Schalke 04 v Atletico Madrid
Aalborg/Modrica v RANGERS/Kaunas
Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow
Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE
Standard Liege v LIVERPOOL
Inter Baku/Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest
FC Twente v ARSENAL
Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dinamo Kiev
Juventus v Tampere/Artmedia
SK Brann/Ventspils v Marseille
Fiorentina v Slavia Prague
Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest
Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff Tiraspol/Sparta Prague

First legs to be played on 12/13 August, second legs on 26/27 August.

[deanpurple]

FC Twente v ARSENAL

Steve what's his name doesn't look like he's going to be winning over the fans just yet.