Saturday, May 1, 2010

Mutu makes way for Jovetic at Fiorentina

Stevan_JoveticStriker Adrian Mutu has been put on the transfer list by his team Fiorentina after his suspension for nine months following positive testing for sibutramine in January.

According to the Italian press, Mutu has been put on the transfer list although his contract runs until 2012.

The Italian club also decided this week that Mutu would be only paid half of his salary.

Romanian striker Mutu transferred to Fiorentina for a 2.2-million-Euro annual salary.

Fiorentina sports manager Pantaleo Corvino was quoted by the Italian press as saying:


"Mutu made a severe mistake. We're going to talk with Prandelli (the coach), but one thing is certain. The future of Fiorentina is named Stevan Jovetic".

Jovetic, 21, transferred to Fiorentina in 2008 for a reported eight million Euros from Serb club Partizan.

Mutu, 31, called "Il Fenomeno" at Fiorentina, was one of its most-admired players.

Mutu is wanted by Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, according to the local press.

Mutu will be back on the field at the end of October after testing positive for sibutramine, a banned substance in sporting activity.

He was suspended in February, and his team Fiorentina dropped to 10th place in the Italian Serie A league.
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I honestly think Jovetic deserves his spot in the lineup, most of the time he plays for them he does fantastic and he creates a lot of goals and scoring loads himself. I'm happy for Serb, but also (still) very disappointed at Mutu for having done this twice in his career... even if it was a very obscure substance and he may not have known it was illegal (doesn't do much anyway, more medical than anything), it's still been regarded as something he shouldn't have used according to the FIGC or whatever. He should get picked up by a team like Galatasaray or Fehnerbace or that Al-Sadd club... not the best teams but still not bad at all, I would like to see him play for the same team as Hagi did for a bit of his career (Galatasaray).

Lucescu criticises Mourinho for defensive play

Romanian football coach Mircea Lucescu has criticised Inter-Milan coach Jose Mourinho, who has taken Inter into the finals of the Champions League.



Lucescu said, as quoted on the website of his team Shakhtar Donetsk: "It is really a shame for a world-class team to stay on defence instead of attacking. I do not like such football. It is a pity that such teams can advance, unlike those who play spectacular football."

Lucescu, 64, was ranked as the fifth best coach in 2009 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

Lucescu won the UEFA Cup with his team FC Shakhtar Donetsk, but it was then eliminated from Europa League play.

Two referees arrested on suspicion of corruption

Two football referees were arrested by anti-corruption prosecutors on Thursday night, who want them placed in preventive detention for 29 days.



Marius Martis and Ionica Serea have been accused by anti-corruption prosecutors of taking bribes. The Arges court has jurisdiction in their case.

The two arrests are thought to be connected to the FC Arges case last year.

Football team FC Arges was demoted to the second league by the Professional Football League (LPF) last year after club manager Cornel Penescu and national refereeing committee head Gheorghe Constantin were arrested in April on bribery charges related to match-fixing.

The two face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of giving or receiving bribes.