Europol probing 380 matches

The European police agency has revealed that a wide-ranging investigation into match fixing has uncovered more than 380 suspicious matches.

These games include Word Cup and European Championship qualifiers and two UEFA Champions League games.

Europol's chief Rob Wainwright said the investigation uncovered "match fixing activity on a scale we have not seen before."

Wainwright revealed the probe uncovered around £7million in betting profits and £1.27m in bribes to players and officials and has already led to several prosecutions.

The investigation identified about 425 corrupt officials, players and serious criminals in 15 countries.

Wainwright also stated that the involvement of organised crime "highlights a big problem for the integrity of football in Europe".

It was not immediately clear how many of the matches mentioned have been revealed in previous match fixing investigations at a national level in countries including Germany and Italy.




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Song keen on Arsenal reunion

Alex Song would welcome a return to Arsenal when the round of 16 draw is made in Nyon on Thursday.



The Spanish giants are one of six teams Arsene Wenger's group runners-up could face, alongside Paris St Germain, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Bayern Munich.



Song swapped the Emirates Stadium for the Nou Camp when he joined the Arsenal exodus during the summer and expects only one outcome if they meet for a place in the quarter-finals.



"Of course I would like to play against Arsenal. For me to go back there, where I had seven magnificent years, would be something very special," the 25-year-old said.



"If we draw Arsenal I'd be happy to see the fans again and go back to the club, even though if we go there it will be to get the best result possible.



"Arsenal's a big club, but Barcelona's a level above because of the talent of the players there.



"That's no disrespect to Arsenal because they have talented players, but I think the Barcelona players are above them. I saw a lot of people come and a lot of people go at Arsenal."



Song's desire will not be shared by the Gunners, who will be desperate to avoid a team that has been hailed by some as the greatest of all time.



Having finished second in Group B, the possibilities facing Arsenal are alarming and Wenger will also be anxious to evade last year's beaten finalists Bayern Munich and Serie A leaders Juventus.



Manchester United are the second Barclays Premier League side to make it through to the knockout stages after defending champions Chelsea and Manchester City failed to progress.



Real Madrid may be trailing Primera Division leaders Barcelona by 13 points but they are still the team Sir Alex Ferguson will want to avoid most, knowing only Champions League glory can redeem Jose Mourinho.



Porto, AC Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Valencia and Celtic are the other possibilities, with the latter setting up a fascinating Battle of Britain contest.



Celtic defied all expectations to qualify as group runners-up behind Barcelona, in the process securing more points than any other Scottish team in the Champions League pool stages with 10.



Other than United, they could meet Malaga, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke or PSG.



Barcelona are favourites to claim their fourth Champions League title since 2006, followed by Real and Bayern, and Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez expects one of the heavyweights to be crowned winners.



"Barcelona, Real Madrid, the English teams, Bayern Munich and Juventus are strong teams," said Benitez, winner of the competition with Liverpool in 2005.



"Obviously they're the big names and they'll be there again, it won't change too much.



"You can find a surprise in some seasons but because those teams are so strong, I don't see there being any surprises this year."



Chelsea are second favourites behind Atletico Madrid to win the Europa League, their reward for finishing third in their Champions League group.



They are joined in the round of 32 by Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, although none of the Premier League rivals are able to face each other at this stage.



Atletico are a possibility for Chelsea and Liverpool, while big names such as Inter Milan, Napoli, Benfica and Ajax remain in the competition.

Lucas Leiva eyes Champions League spot for Liverpool

Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool remain in contention for a Champions League place despite their relatively lowly position.



Despite remaining in the bottom half of the Premier League table following a poor start to the season, the reds are only seven points adrift of Chelsea in third spot and the Brazilian believes they can start to narrow the gap.



“It shows the Premier League is very tight at the moment,” he said. “The gap to third place is not too bad. If we had had a few more wins we would be closer but we can’t change that.



“We have a lot of games now and if we can get three or four wins in a row I think we will be very close to the top four.



“We just have to think to move on to get more points, especially in the crucial time which is coming.



“If we can turn draws into wins it will be even better but we have to keep believing as there are a lot of positive things at the moment.”



Having already played the Premier League’s top seven-placed clubs, their next six fixtures are against teams in he lower half of the table.



The return of Lucas in the midfield holding role following three months out with a thigh strain gives Liverpool greater strength in a key position allowing Steven Gerrard and Joe Allen to play more advanced roles.

Beckham eyes Champions League tilt

David Beckham is still to confirm his next move, but a team who can offer him Champions League football would turn his head.

Former England international Beckham will bring the curtain down on his LA Galaxy career in Saturday's MLS Cup final - live on ESPN. Given his profile and standing in the game, even at 37 he has teams jockeying for position to sign him.

Beckham has a Champions League winner's medal in his trophy cabinet from Manchester United's win in 1999 and has dined at the top table with Real Madrid and AC Milan.

It is a tournament he would like one final crack at, as he said: "I always loved it when I went back to AC Milan being back in the Champions League.

"I still miss playing in it, they are the games you love playing in. Of course I'd want to play in it again.



"We'll see where I go next. If it's a team that's in the Champions League then it will be nice to be back."

Arsenal want pay cuts for Champions League failure

Arsenal want players signing new contracts to agree deals that involve reduced payments if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.



Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League in every one of Arsène Wenger's 16 years in charge. Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Karl Jenkinson have or will soon be offered long-term deals.



An Arsenal spokesman said it was "normal practice" for players to have clauses that were linked to the club's success both domestically and in Europe.



"Each player has an individual contract that contains elements of performance-related payments, which are linked to a player's individual contribution and also to the club's progress in both domestic and European competitions," he said.

Chelsea wait on Lampard scan

Frank Lampard is expected to learn on Thursday whether he will be ruled out of Chelsea's showdown against Manchester United this weekend with injury.

The veteran midfielder lasted just 15 minutes of the Blues' first serious defeat of the season against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

Lampard limped out of the 2-1 UEFA Champions League loss with a recurrence of the calf injury that ruled him out of England's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland and is set to undergo a scan to determine the extent of the problem.

The 34-year-old's withdrawal from the damaging Group E defeat saw manager Roberto Di Matteo's game-plan go up in smoke, leaving Chelsea in danger of becoming the first holders to crash out of the competition before the knockout phase.

With John Terry resuming his domestic racism ban, vice-captain Lampard's absence against United on Sunday could leave Di Matteo with another headache in a game the Blues will be desperate to win to open up a seven-point gap on their opponents.

Confirming the midfielder would undergo a scan on Wednesday - the results of which will be revealed on Thursday - Di Matteo said: "It's basically a recurrence of an old injury.



"He was training with us fine and there were no alarm bells before the game. He was in good condition to play."

Neil Lennon 'proud' of his player's performance despite defeat

Neil Lennon declared himself 'bitterly disappointed but immensely proud' after Celtic's agonising 2-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona.

It looked like the Hoops would come away with a draw as the score stood at 1-1 heading into stoppage time, but Jordi Alba's late goal secured victory for the home side at Camp Nou.

Barcelona had to come from behind after Georgios Samaras put Celtic in front, and Lennon was delighted with the way his players acquitted themselves against such strong opponents.

He told Sky Sports: "I thought we were compact, we defended very well when we had to and looked a threat. Losing Georgi (Georgios Samaras, who went off injured) was a blow at the time because he was causing Barcelona some problems.

"You know when you come here there are going to be concerted amounts of pressure and we just needed to see it out. There was a bit of luck with the goal.

"While I am bitterly disappointed, for the players more than anybody else, I am immensely proud of them as well.

"We were brave. The players stuck to what we asked them to do, they didn't lose their composure when we knew we would be under pressure."

Lennon added: "They defended brilliantly and at times on the counter-attack we looked dangerous.

"This is the best team in the world, so to come here and play as well as that - it doesn't surprise me because I know the quality and character within the team."

Barca coach Tito Vilanova said: "I think we deserved to win the game, their keeper played well and credit to them but I think we controlled them pretty well.

"It says a lot about Barca, we keep going and if you don't have any attempts on goal you won't win.

"But I believe that Celtic have a chance to qualify, they have two more matches at home so it is possible that they can go through."

Former Spurs boss believes he would have been sacked even if Spurs were in the Champions League

Harry Redknapp feels he would have been sacked even if Tottenham had qualified for the Champions League.



Spurs confirmed the 65-year-old's departure in the early hours of this morning after negotiations over a contract extension with chairman Daniel Levy broke down.



Redknapp believes this outcome was inevitable, regardless of what happened on the pitch - with Spurs losing out on Champions League football again despite finishing fourth in the Barclays Premier League, because of Chelsea's Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich last month.



"We finished fourth and were unlucky at the end, but I think the same outcome would have happened," Redknapp said on BBC Radio Five Live.



"Even if we had finished fourth, the chairman would have gone down the same road. But that is football.



"I had four great years at Spurs. All you can do is leave the club in a better state than you found it and I did that, for sure."



In his first full season in charge Redknapp guided Spurs to fourth position, taking them into the Champions League for the first time.



Spurs played some exhilarating football on their way to the quarter-finals, before being knocked out by Real Madrid.



Since then Redknapp has twice failed to secure Champions League football at White Hart Lane, albeit with a touch of misfortune this season as Chelsea snatched the last available place away from them.



That capped a dramatic season for Redknapp, who underwent a heart procedure in November, was cleared of tax evasion in February and missed out on the England job in May.



In the past week Redknapp made it known he would be uncomfortable heading into the new season without a longer deal while also defending his relationship with Levy.



It has been claimed, however, that Levy was only willing to offer Redknapp a rolling 12-month contract whereas the former Portsmouth manager is thought to have wanted a longer deal that would have made the London club his last job in management.



Redknapp's future remains uncertain, but the former West Ham boss could now be set for a move overseas, with a long-standing offer of a coaching role in Dubai said to be on the table.



Tottenham have yet to confirm any details of the compensation package agreed or whether any of Redknapp's backroom staff, including Joe Jordan and Kevin Bond, will remain at the club.

Torres: Chelsea can defeat Barcelona to night

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres believes the London club's battling qualities can help overcome Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final.



Chelsea hold a 1-0 first leg advantage going into the return tie at the on Tuesday.



"It is clear that Barcelona are a step ahead of all other clubs," Torres told Uefa's website.



"They have reached the last five semi-finals. But this is football: the best team doesn't always win."



Torres has highlighted the influence of Spain team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta for Barcelona and says that Chelsea cannot get drawn into a game in which they are chasing the ball against a side renowned for their passing ability.



"Xavi and Iniesta are players who dictate the rhythm of the game," added Torres. "When you play against them, you need to know that they are guiding the game.

"Many teams who play Barcelona think that you have to steal the ball from them, but I don't think that's possible.



"You have to use different weapons against them. If you want to steal the ball, you won't manage it and you'll get tired, and then create more space for your opponent."



Barcelona have not won a Champions League tie the three times they have trailed from the first leg and Chelsea coach Roberto di Matteo insists his side will be trying to score and not just try to protect their slender lead.



Meanwhile, Chelsea keeper Petr Cech hopes Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir does not add to controversies involving officials which have dogged games between the two sides.



"The referee can be a big part of the game. You could see that in the past," said Cech.



"There were great games between us and Barcelona but there was controversy, which was a shame, overshadowing the great games on the pitch.



"We have an experienced Turkish referee [for the game].



"If you have an experience of refereeing Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in the Turkish league, a game between Chelsea and Barcelona should be fine.



"The referee will have the same professional approach as we had in the first game, which was without controversy."

Mbia blames poor luck for Marseille loss

Marseille defender Stephane Mbia rued his team's luck and believes they can overturn their 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich.



The Ligue 1 side are on the verge of exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage after goals from Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben condemned them to the loss at Stade Velodrome on Wednesday.



The defeat extended Marseille's winless run to nine matches in all competitions, putting more pressure on manager Didier Deschamps.



But Mbia said his side's loss to Bayern was the result of bad luck, and added they were capable of progressing to the last four.



"We were unlucky, just like the last game. I think if we scored in the first half everything would have changed. We are not lucky," Mbia said.



"I don't want to start talking about all the problems we have all over again.



"The most important thing now is to rest and go to Germany and try to get a result. I am pretty sure we can do it, seeing how we played today. I am sure we can do it."



Gomez opened the scoring in France after an error from Marseille goalkeeper Elinton Andrade, before Robben made it 2-0 with a neat finish.



Meanwhile, Marseille president Vincent Labrune said he was eager to address the concerns of the club's fans, who are becoming increasingly unhappy.



"There are a lot of problems now - the amount of games we play, the economic troubles in the city and these bad results from the last two months," Labrune said.



"It's quite difficult for them because they are not accustomed to seeing the club lose this amount of games in the last 30 years, so we can understand that.



"Tonight, we tried our best, we gave everything we had and we were close to getting a good result but still we lost. We are not angry with the supporters because they are always behind us."

Champions League and Europa League quarter final / semi final draws

The draws for the Champions League and Europa League quarter and semi finals were made today at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. They were determined by an open draw in which no teams are seeded and clubs from the same national association could be drawn against each other. The side drawn first play the first leg at home.



CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2012

QUARTER FINALS



APOEL v Real Madrid



Olympique Marseille v Bayern Munich



Benfica v Chelsea



AC Milan v Barcelona



SEMI FINALS



APOEL / Real Madrid v Olympique Marseille / Bayern Munich



Benfica / Chelsea v AC Milan / Barcelona



Champions League Draw - Quarter Finals by World Football

EUROPA LEAGUE 2012

QUARTER FINALS



AZ Alkmaar v Valencia



Schalke 04 v Athletic Bilbao



Sporting v Metalist Kharkiv



Atletico Madrid v Hannover



SEMI FINALS:



Atletico Madrid / Hannover vs AZ Alkmaar / Valencia



Sporting / Metalist Kharkiv vs Schalke 04 / Athletic Bilbao



Uefa Europa League Draw by World Football

Brandao: I told Deschamps that I would score against Inter

Olympique Marseille hero Brandao has claimed that he predicted the goal which sent the French team into the quarterfinals of the Champions League, after Didier Deschamps' men upset Inter.



Leading 1-0 following the first leg, Marseille appeared to be heading for extra time in Italy when Diego Milito's goal pulled the tie level in the second half. Brandao, however, had other ideas and scored a late strike to eventually put his team through on away goals.



Speaking to Globoesporte in an interview published on Thursday, the 31-year-old striker revealed that as soon as he came off the bench he believed that he had the ability to decide the match.



"[Coach Deschamps] put me in to play extra time, since I was a fresh pair of legs. He called me over and, before going on, I told him 'I'm going in now, and I am going to score a goal'. He told me 'so go in there and do it,'" Brandao explained. "After the game, into the camera, I remembered what I had said and I sent my love to everyone in Brazil. I showed once more that I came in and I came in to make a difference."



Brandao and Marseille will discover their last-eight oppponent on Friday morning, when the Champions League knockout stage is drawn.