Tag Archives: Copenhagen

Transfer Round Up For January 22nd 2016

Done deals:

– Genoa have completed a loan deal for midfielder Alessio Cerci from AC Milan until the end of the season.

– Leicester have signed Daniel Amartey from Copenhagen on a four-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.

– Sunderland have completed the signing of goalkeeper Steve Harper until the end of the season.

– Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi has signed for Levante on loan for the rest of the season.

– Udinese have signed midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic on loan from Basel for the rest of the season.

– Gaziantepspor have confirmed the loan signing of striker Habib Habibou from Rennes until the end of the season.

– Fiorentina has completed the signing of Cristian Tello from Barcelona on loan.

Christian Tello, photo credit MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
Christian Tello, photo credit MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.

Today’s reports and rumours:

– Liverpool have contacted FC Lorient about left-back Raphael Guerreiro, according to reports.

– Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted he is now more open to bringing in new players this month.

– Sampdoria are targeting Twente FC’s Moroccan talent Hakim Ziyech, according to reports.

– FC Nantes President Waldemar Kita has confirmed that Colombian defender Oswaldo Vicarrondo is on the transfer market

– Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed that Thomas Tuchel is the reason he stayed with the Bundesliga club this season.

– Toulouse striker Wissam Ben Yedder has announced via his official Twitter account that he will be remaining at the club until the end of the season, amid intense speculation linking the player with Tottenham, Lyon and Marseille.

Neymar photo credit: Marc Puig i Perez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode
Neymar
photo credit: Marc Puig i Perez
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode

– Neymar’s father has dismissed reports the Barcelona star has had talks with Real Madrid directors, calling the allegations an “invention”.

– Manchester United are considering a move for Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, according to reports.

– Napoli are ready to increase their bid for Newcastle star Moussa Sissokho after an unsuccessful first approach, according to reports.

– Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists Yaya Toure must focus on the present rather than think about his long term future at the club.

– Swansea coach Alan Curtis has confirmed that there will be no swap deal involving Fabio Borini and Andre Ayew.

– Barcelona could loan out defender Douglas this month, according to manager Luis Enrique.

– Louis van Gaal has categorically denied reports claiming he will quit Manchester United at the end of the season.

Roberto Martinez photo credit: Александр Осипов https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
Roberto Martinez
photo credit: Александр Осипов
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

– Roberto Martinez has assured Everton fans that none of the team’s key players will be sold in the January window.

– West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis believes the Saido Berahino transfer saga could extend right into the final hours of the January transfer window.

– Swansea have failed with a fresh offer for Napoli striker Manolo Gabbiadini, according to reports in Italy.

– Fernando Torres has an offer to become the highest-paid player in world football, his agent José Antonio Martín has said.

Manuel Neuer photo credit: Steindy http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
Manuel Neuer
photo credit: Steindy
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode

– Manuel Neuer has not ruled out leaving Bayern Munich in the future amid the increasing wages on offer in the Premier League,

– Chinese outfit Jiangsu Suning FC have lodged a formal bid for AS Roma striker Seydou Doumbia, according to reports.

– Roberto Martínez has claimed Sam Byram was not the right player for Everton despite bidding an initial £3.7m for the Leeds United defender before he chose West Ham United.

– Manchester United are ready to spend up to £20million to secure a deal for Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand, according to reports.

Football tit bits:

– UEFA have officially agreed to use goal-line technology at Euro 2016 and next season’s Champions League.

– Manchester United’s Ashley Young has suffered a ‘severe’ groin injury and is to undergo surgery, Louis van Gaal has revealed.

– Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are fit and will be available for selection for Sunday’s showdown with Arsenal at the Emirates.

– Bahraini pro-democracy campaigners have written to FIFA’s top sponsors to raise concerns over Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa’s attempt to become the president of world football’s governing body.

Mitchel Platini
Mitchel Platini

– UEFA executive committee have decided to delay presidential election until Michel Platini’s appeal is heard

– Roberto Mancini and Internazionale have accepted Maurizio Sarri’s apologies after the Napoli coach used “highly
insulting” language during a Coppa Italia match.

– ADO Den Haag has slapped stadium bans on 22 fans it says were involved in racist chants during Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Ajax.

– Spain’s anti-violence committee for sports has asked the Spanish FA (RFEF) to take action over abusive chants from Espanyol fans towards Gerard Pique’s wife Shakira during the recent Copa del Rey game against Barcelona.

$245,000 in prize money up for grabs – Copenhagen 2014

A total prize purse of US$245,000 will be paid by the IAAF for the men’s and women’s races at the IAAF/Al-Bank World Half Marathon Championships, Copenhagen, Denmark on Saturday 29 March 2014.

Prize Money (all amounts are in US$)

Individual

1st – 30,000

2nd -15,000

3rd – 10,000

4th – 7000

5th – 5000

6th – 3000

Teams

1st – 15,000

2nd – 12,000

3rd – 9000

4th – 7500

5th – 6000

6th – 3000

World record bonus

An athlete who surpasses a World record in Copenhagen will be awarded a US$50,000 bonus by the IAAF.

The current ratified World records are:

Men – Zersenay Tadese (ERI) 58:23, 21 March 2010, Lisbon

Women (single sex race) – Lornah Kiplagat (NED) 1:06:25, 14 October 2007, Udine

NOTE: The payment of all prize money is dependent upon athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures.

Timetable

Saturday 29 March (times are local: GMT + 1hour):

Women’s race: 12:30

Men’s race: 12:55

Facts, figures and who to watch in Copenhagen – IAAF/AL-Bank World Half Marathon Championships

With little more than a week to go to the 2014 IAAF/AL-Bank World Half Marathon Championships in the Danish capital of Copenhagen on 29 March, we take a look at some of the key contenders, as well as some of the more interesting entrants.

This will be the 20th edition of the championships (including the two editions that were renamed the ‘IAAF World Road Running Championships’) and Denmark is the 16th country to host the World Half Marathon Championships.

The event is being held in Scandinavia for just the second time ever, 20 years after Oslo hosted it. It’s also just the second time in the history of the championships that it is being held in spring. Brussels in 2002 was the only other World Half Marathon Championships that was held at this time of year.

No story on the World Half Marathon Championships would be complete without a mention of five-time winner Zersenay Tadese. The Eritrean is the most decorated athlete in the history of the championships, having won 12 medals, five of them gold.

On the all-time medals table for the event, if Tadese were entered as a separate nation, he’d rank fourth behind only Kenya, Ethiopia and Romania.

Tadese will be in Copenhagen next weekend, looking for an unprecedented sixth gold medal in what will be a record ninth appearance at the championships. If he makes it on to the podium, he would become the oldest ever men’s individual medallist at the World Half Marathon Championships.

Seven teams – Spain, Ethiopia, France, Japan, Kenya, Romania and USA – will continue their record in Copenhagen as ‘ever presents’ at the World Half Marathon Championships, having contested every edition of the event since the inaugural championships in 1992.

No fewer than 150 teams have taken part across the past 19 editions of the World Half Marathon Championships. Saudi Arabia will this year be making their first appearance at the event, with two athletes entered in the men’s race.

Host team Denmark will be keen to perform well in front of their home crowd and for the first time they are fielding full teams for both the men’s and women’s races.

Denmark’s best ever individual finish was Jan Ikov’s 10th place in the men’s race in 1993, while their best team placing was 12th in 2012.

Three of the five athletes who represented Denmark in 2012 feature on this year’s team, including European under-23 10,000m bronze medallist Abdi Hakin Ulad. The team also includes eight-time national champion Morten Munkholm and Olympians Jesper Faurschou and Jess Draskau-Petersson.

At 49 years of age, Iceland’s Martha Ernsdottir is set to become the oldest ever competitor at the World Half Marathon Championships. But she isn’t the only quadragenarian in the race, or even on her team, as 42-year-old compatriot Helen Olafsdottir will also be representing Iceland.

But not all of the Icelandic team are veterans as 19-year-old Ingvar Hjartson is entered for the men’s race. He’s not quite the youngest athlete set to compete in Copenhagen, though. That honour belongs to Eritrea’s 18-year-old Ghirmay Ghebreslassie. And with a 1:00:09 personal best, he could even challenge for a medal.

Other notable entrants include two of the Estonian Luik triplets, Liina and Leila.

Previews of the men’s and women’s races will be published online next week.

RECORDS

World records
Men: 58:23 Zersenay Tadese (ERI) Lisbon 2010

Women: 1:06:25 Lornah Kiplagat (NED) Udine 2007 (women-only)

1:05:12 Florence Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona 2014 (mixed race, subject to usual ratification procedure)

Championship records
Men: 58:59 Zersenay Tadese (ERI) Udine 2007

Women: 1:06:25 Lornah Kiplagat (NED) Udine 2007

Men’s team: 2:58:54 (KEN) Udine 2007

Women’s team: 3:22:30 (KEN) Birmingham 2009

Area records – men

Africa: 58:23 Zersenay Tadese (ERI) Lisbon 2010

Asia: 1:00:25 Atsushi Sato (JPN) Udine 2007

Europe: 59:52 Fabian Roncero (ESP) Berlin 2001

North, Central America and the Caribbean: 59:43 Ryan Hall (USA) Houston 2007

Oceania: 1:00:56 Collis Birmingham (AUS) Marugame 2013

South America: 59:33 Marilson dos Santos (BRA) Udine 2007

Area records – women

Africa: 1:05:12 Florence Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona 2014

Asia: 1:07:26 Kayoko Fukushi (JPN) Marugame 2006

Europe: 1:06:25 Lornah Kiplagat (NED) Udine 2007

North, Central America and the Caribbean: 1:07:34 Deena Kastor (USA) Berlin 2006

Oceania: 1:07:11 Kim Smith (NZL) Philadelphia 2011

South America: 1:10:30 Yolanda Caballero (COL) New York City 2013