euro_2008 league News
Czech 17.7 : Petr Rada has been confirmed as the new coach of the Czech Republic. The 49-year-old stepped up from the role of assistant coach to replace Karel Bruckner, who retired following the group-stage exit at EURO 2008. His previous experience includes spells at Slavia Prague, Teplice twice, Viktoria Plzen and Jablonec. Rada becomes his country's fourth coach since independence in 1993, following Dusan Uhrin, Jozef Chovanec and Bruckner.
Spain 15.7 : Former Real Madrid boss Vicente del Bosque was named as the new coach of Spain, the team Luis Aragones guided to the European Championship title last month. Aragones, 69, stepped down this month to lead Turkish club Fenerbahce the next two seasons. Del Bosque, 57, has agreed to a two-year contract that should see him guide the European champions through to the 2010 World Cup.
Del Bosque lead Real Madrid to two UEFA Champions League triumphs and two Primera Division titles during three and a half years in charge, one of the most successful spells in the club's history. Surprisingly, he was fired one day after guiding the Spanish giants to their record 29th Spanish league title. Del Bosque went on to coach the Turkish club Besiktas after Real but was fired after seven months.
Portugal 13.7 : Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has been named as the new coach of Portugal. The 55-year-old replaces Luiz Felipe Scolari who joined Chelsea after EURO 2008. Queiroz has signed a four-year contract for what is his second spell at the helm of the national team, having previously been in charge in the early 1990s. His coaching career also includes spells with Sporting Portugal, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Real Madrid.
Portugal 12.7 : Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has been named as the new coach of Portugal. Queiroz has signed a four-year contract for what is his second spell at the helm of the national team, having previously been in charge in the early 1990s. The 55-year-old, who arrived at Old Trafford to assist Sir Alex Ferguson in 2002, replaces Luiz Felipe Scolari who joined Chelsea. "I am very proud and honoured to serve my country once again," said Queiroz. "It's a very a special challenge and a position that every professional coach wishes for."
Bosnia 11.7 : Croatian Miroslav Blazevic has been named as the new coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina, replacing Meho Kodro who was dismissed in May. The 73-year-old Blazevic, who was born in the central Bosnian town of Travnik, achieved his greatest coaching success when he led Croatia to third place at the 1998 World Cup. Blazevic's most recent job was as head coach of Zagreb.
Scotland 10.7 : Rangers captain Barry Ferguson will be sidelined for three months with an ankle injury. The 30-year-old midfielder struggled with ankle injuries at the end of last season, but was told he didn't need an operation. The trouble resurfaced during training this week, and tests confirmed the extent of the injury. Ferguson will miss Rangers' two qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League group stage and the start of Scotland's World Cup qualifying campaign.
France 4.7 : Raymond Domenech will remain France coach despite a humiliating first-round exit at last month's European Championship. The 56-year-old remains under contract until the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals following a meeting with the French Football Federation board on Thursday to decide his future. Domenech's team was among the favorites at EURO 2008 two years after reaching the World Cup final. But France failed to win a game and scored only one goal, in a 4-1 loss to the Netherlands. They also drew 0-0 with Romania before losing 2-0 to Italy.
Spain 2.7 : Spain midfielder Xavi was named by UEFA as the best player at EURO 2008 after his stirring displays helped his country to the title. Spain beat Germany 1-0 in the final on Sunday to win their first major trophy in 44 years. Xavi was key to Spain's triumph thanks to his superb short passing game and ability to break down opposition attacks. The 28-year-old Barcelona player appeared in five matches at the European Championship, scoring once in the semi-final against Russia.
Turkey 1.7 : Turkey coach Fatih Terim's contract has been extended by two years to 2012. Terim had hinted that he would return to club management after leading Turkey to the European Championship semifinals last week, but the Turkish football federation said that he agreed to stay on after a meeting on Tuesday. Media reports linked him with a return to Italy, where he has coached Milan and Fiorentina.
Germany 30.6 : Germany captain Michael Ballack shook off a calf injury to play in the EURO 2008 final, but he is going home empty-handed again, with Germany falling 1-0 to Spain in the final of the European Championship on Sunday. Second place yet again, just more than a month after Ballack and his Chelsea teammates lost a penalty-kick shootout to Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League and the Red Devils beat them to take the Premier League title.
Although the 31-year-old midfielder won Bundesliga and cup titles with Bayern Munich, he also lost in the UEFA 2002 Champions League final when Bayer Leverkusen went down to Real Madrid. Ballack also missed out at the 2000 and 2004 Euros when Germany were knocked out in the first round each time. He also missed out on playing in the World Cup final in 2002 in Japan because of suspension and had to watch Germany lose to Brazil 2-0.
Spain 30.6 : Spain striker David Villa has been crowned top scorer at EURO 2008 despite missing the final because of a thigh injury. The 26-year-old Valencia forward, who hurt his right leg when taking a free kick in the semifinal win, scored four goals in Spain's first two games at the tournament, three against Russia and one against Sweden. Villa was unable to add to that tally, but nevertheless finished one goal clear of Germany's Lukas Podolski, Roman Pavlyuchenko of Russia, Switzerland's Hakan Yakin and Semih Senturk of Turkey.
Spain 30.6 : Spain have been crowned European champions for the second time as Fernando Torres's first-half goal on Sunday proved enough to defeat Germany in the final of EURO 2008. Torres, who had been overshadowed by teammate David Villa all tournament, scored in the 33rd minute to down the three-time European champions and earn his nation's first European title in 44 years. Spain won their only previous crown in this competition in 1964 and had not been beyond the quarter-finals of any major tournament in 24 years.
