Ronaldo leads Portugal to fourth in Fifa ranking

he Seleccao have leapfrogged Colombia, while Switzerland and Brazil have enjoyed boosts inside the top 10

Portugal have jumped up to fourth in Fifa's world rankings, while World Cup holders Spain remain top dogs.

Vicente del Bosque's men lead the way ahead of Germany and Argentina in an unchanged top three, but Iberian neighbours Portugal - whom Cristiano Ronaldo fired to the World Cup this summer late last year - have leapfrogged Colombia into fourth.

Switzerland are up two places to sixth despite not playing a game since November, while Confederation Cup holders Brazil have risen to ninth, overtaking Netherlands.

Denmark are among the biggest movers, jumping from 25th to 20th, and France are up two spots to joint 18th with Ukraine, whom Didier Deschamps' side beat in a play-off in November to qualify for the World Cup.

World Cup debutants Bosnia & Herzegovina also rise two places to 17th, with United States and Chile up one spot each to 13th and 14th at the expense of England, who fall to 15th.

Cote d'Ivoire have dropped out of the top 20 after a six-place fall, but African rivals Cape Verde are up eight places to 27.

Mali are one of the list's biggest losers, dropping 19 places to 59th, while Ghana - who will look to replicate their run to the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil later this year - have plummeted 13 spots to number 37.

Elsewhere, Armenia have moved inside the top 30, their highest ever Fifa ranking, after a World Cup qualification campaign that saw them narrowly miss out on a play-off spot.

Liverpool launches football academy in India

Top English Premier League side Liverpool on Wednesday announced the launch of a residential football academy here in partnership with city-based DSK Shivajians FC.

The full-time coaching academy, named LFC International Football Academy DSK, will be a world class purpose-built residential complex, featuring full-size pitches, practice areas, classrooms, changing rooms, a gym, canteen, lecture theatre, residential and medical facilities.

The academy will officially open in January next year and will be a market-leading development centre for young players in India, servicing DSK Shivajians, a release said.

The programme, which will support aspiring young footballers up to the age of 18, will provide the players with the opportunity to develop their game in a professional academy environment, said the release from Libero Sports, a consultancy firm which facilitated the initiative.

“At the Academy in Liverpool we aim to develop outstanding players and good human beings. The results speak for themselves as last season seven players from the academy made their first team debuts. Education and community work are keys to the development of our young players and we look forward to taking our knowledge and experience to India,” said Academy Director, Frank McParland.

Coaches from Liverpool FC will work on the project in India and will pass on technical expertise to the players and coaches involved in the Academy. Over time, more full time coaches will come from Liverpool FC to oversee each age group players at the Academy.

“This is the first time an English top-flight club has partnered with an Indian team to help them bring through local talent. Millions of our LFC family are based in India so we are very excited to be working with DSK Shivajians and being part of the game’s development in the country,” said Chief Commercial Officer at Liverpool FC, Billy Hogan.

Football transfer rumours: Barcelona to bid for Chelsea's David Luiz?

Michael Butler

"Big Website seeks shabby, loyal insomniac. Must be a morning person, ideally with not-very-GSOH and a reliable internet connection."

Word on the proverbial street is that the Mill was being lined up for replacement. Frankly we always knew this day was coming – spreading rumours and talking daily codswallop was always going to catch up to us – but we just were hoping that our death would be a subtle one, in which we could slip into retirement with our dignity and integrity intact, rather than a post-it note stuck on the office coffee machine.

Big Website are not the only job-hunting behemoths on the prowl for a like-for-like replacement. After Carles Puyol announced his decision to leave his Barcelona post after 15 years in the job, the Catalan club are said to be lining up another £25m bid for Chelsea's David Luiz, having been knocked back last summer; 'like-for-like' of course being used in reference to the Brazilian's curly-hair-raising similarity to Puyol, rather than Luiz's weakness for a Cruyff turn or a risky pass in defence.

The said street are convinced that with the arrival of Kurt Zouma from Saint-Etienne, and with John Terry set to be offered a contract extension, Chelsea would consider selling, with Barcelona hopeful that the deal would be concluded before the World Cup, as winning the best tournament in the world would significantly drive up the asking price.

Liverpool have decided that their really good strikers aren't good enough and are said to be tracking Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette. With the French club in a bit of financial bother, £10m is said to be enough to tempt Lyon to sell the 22-year-old, who has scored 14 goals this season, and who has also attracted attention from Arsenal and Tottenham.

Another Frenchman eyeing a move over the Channel is Montpellier'sRémy Cabella. Newcastle, frothing at the prospect of more Gallic blood, are said to want to add the attacking midfielder to their ranks to replace Yohan Cabaye but his colourful current club president, Louis Nicollin, isn't so keen to see Cabella go to the north-east, having sold "my dear Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa" to Newcastle in January last year. "Newcastle? They're good, aren't they? Don't make me laugh," mocked Nicollin. "In England, you should play at Arsenal or Chelsea or either of the Manchester teams at a push. We promised to let him leave. But I'll advise him not to leave for just anywhere."

Meanwhile, Internazionale are set to swoop for Arsenal's Lukas Podolski, but may lose out on Nemanja Vidic, who is apparently open to a switch to Galatasaray instead.

Even with Vidic departing, Rio Ferdinand out of contract and Chris Smalling being used at right back, Michael Keane is not expected break into the Manchester United side any time soon, and will therefore go out on loan to Blackburn Rovers, who are also about to offer Jordan Rhodes a new five-and-a-half year deal, in an attempt to ward off interest from West Ham and Swansea.

Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro live Stream Club World Cup

Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro live Stream Club World Cup - Third Place Play-Off – Preview 21 Dec 2013

Match Preview: Saturday 21st December 2013,One of the important match Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro of Club World Cup - Third Place Play-Off Live High QualityStreaming,Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro streaming is available here Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro Live Stream online video Club World Cup - Third Place Play-Off Video Free The match will take plcae at Stade de Marrakech 12/21/13 Preview Pictures and Wallpapers its mean all things are available in my blog please see and check here for latest things.Preview Pictures and Wallpapers its mean all things are available in my blog please see and check here for latest things Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro Live StreamGuangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro,Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro online free, Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro Live High Quality Streaming video.Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro at Stade de Marrakech Saturday 21st December 2013, kick-off 16:30 (GMT).The Bayern Munich boss has hailed the Frenchman's willingness to track back and make sacrifices for the team and is eagerly anticipating Saturday's Club World Cup final. Pep Guardiola says he feels honoured to coach Franck Ribery after the France international helped Bayern Munich into the Club World Cup final on Tuesday. Ribery scored the opening goal in Bayern's 3-0 semi-final win over Guangzhou Evergrande, with Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gotze also finding the net in Agadir, and Guardiola had nothing but praise for the Ballon d'Or nominee after the final whistle.
"For me it is an honour to be Ribery's coach," the Bayern boss said.
"Franck has an unbelievable heart to play this game and is humble enough to track back up to 40 metres time and time again, to follow his opponent and help the team.
"For me it is an honour to be able to train him."
Bayern scored three goals in the space of seven minutes either side of the break to progress to the final of the Club World Cup and will now play either Raja Casablanca or Atletico Mineiro in Saturday's final.
"I am so, so happy for the players, Jupp Heynckes and the club to play the final next Saturday and I hope to bring this title to Germany for the first time," Guardiola continued.
"We have to prepare our head and our legs as soon as possible. The most important thing is to know we have a unique opportunity in our lives to play this final.
"It is not easy to be here, it is so difficult to try to become the best team in the world. So it is a good challenge for us and good preparation. Raja or Mineiro are going to play as well as possible to win this title."...Following a shock semi-final exit, the Atletico Mineiro superstar insists the Brazilians will try to end Club World Cup with victory against Guangzhou Evergrande
Ronaldinho expressed his disappointment at Atletico Mineiro's surprise defeat at the Club World Cup on Thursday, but has declared that they "want to go out on a high".
Following the 3-1 loss to Raja Casablanca in Marrakech, the former World Player of the Year rued missed opportunities, but insists complacency was never an issue.
“We were expecting a tough match, and it was an entertaining, open game, with lots of goal-scoring opportunities for both sides. They were lucky enough to finish their chances,” Ronaldinho told the official Fifa website.

The defeat means that the Brazilians will now play Guangzhou Evergrande instead of progressing on to the showpiece final against Bayern Munich. However, on the whole it has still been a fantastic year for Atletico.
Reflecting on a historic 12 months in which Mineiro claimed their first ever Copa Libertadores title, the iconic No.10 expressed a great deal of joy regarding their achievements.
“It was a wonderful year. We made history in a club that goes back 100 years," he continued.
“We are happy to be part of that, to represent this generation of the club in this historic year. Unfortunately we didn’t close out the year with a perfect ending.
"But it is something that serves as experience so that next time we are even more focused and don’t make the same mistakes.”
Mineiro must now beat Guangzhou to avoid finishing fourth and becoming the worst-placed Brazilian team in the tournament's history. 

Competition: Club World Cup - Third Place Play-Off 
Match: Guangzhou Evergrande V Atlético Mineiro 
Date: Saturday 21st December 2013
Kickoff: 16:30 GMT
Venue:  Stade de Marrakech 
Live/Repeat: Live

West Ham v Cardiff England Premier League live Stream Preview 17 August,2013

 

Match Preview: Saturday 17 August,2013, One of the important match West Ham v Cardiff  of England Premier League HD Quality Live West Ham v Cardiff streaming is available here.West Ham v Cardiff Live Stream online video England Premier League Video Free The match will take plcae at Upton Park on 8/17/13 Preview Pictures and Wallpapers its mean all things are available in my blog please see and check here for latest things.West Ham v Cardiff Live Stream West Ham v Cardiff,West Ham v Cardiff online free, West Ham v Cardiff live stream video. New West Ham winger Stewart Downing is likely to feature, having signed from Liverpool this week.George McCartney (knee) misses out and fellow defender James Collins (knee) faces a race against time to be fit.Cardiff are set to hand 18-year-old left-back Declan John just his second first-team appearance as they make their Premier League bow.Striker Andreas Cornelius is a doubt, but record signing Gary Medel will go straight into the starting line-up.

Team News:
The world was a very different place when Cardiff City last dined at the top table. In the USA the charismatic JFK was President, while here at home Harold McMillan was Prime Minister. The average yearly wage was £799 and beer cost about 12p a pint. Acker Bilk had the best-selling single of the year while a little-known Liverpool band called The Beatles recruited Ringo Starr as their new drummer. It was 1962.
Many Cardiff supporters must have feared this day would never come but last season's Championship title finally turned the dream into reality after three consecutive play-off failures.
 Backed by the club's ambitious Malaysian owners and their new Premier League funds, manager Malky Mackay seems to have spent much of the summer setting and then smashing Cardiff's record transfer fee. First he spent £7.5m on young Denmark international Andreas Cornelius, then around £8m went to Tottenham for defender Steven Caulker before another £9.5m or so was splashed out on Chile midfielder Gary Medel from Sevilla.
Of the squad that achieved promotion, Peter Whittingham shone like a beacon in the Championship until the second half of last season, Frazier Campbell deserves another crack at this level, and then there's Craig Bellamy - so influential in that title success, so integral in their survival prospects.
Of course, West Ham are among Bellamy's many former clubs. These days Andy Carroll is the focal point of their attack so there couldn't be a much greater contrast in style of play. Having struck lucky with one Anfield reject, Sam Allardyce hopes to repeat the trick with the addition of Stewart Downing at a similarly huge discount.
If he and Matt Jarvis can provide the service, Carroll's towering aerial ability should do the rest. You can see the logic. Big Sam could be on to something, especially if Kevin Nolan weighs in with his normal quota from midfield.
The West Ham boss wants another top-10 finish and is targeting a 50-point haul. For Cardiff, the aim is obvious. It's all about survival in their first-ever Premier League campaign and if they can take a few points off Swansea City along the way so much the better.

Head-to-head
West Ham lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff on the opening day of the Championship season two years ago.
Otherwise, the Hammers have won four of their last five games against Cardiff without conceding a goal.
The last time Cardiff scored more than one goal at Upton Park was a 4-2 Division Two defeat in March 1948.

West Ham
The Hammers have only drawn one of their last 18 opening games (W9, D1, L8).
West Ham were the only team not to win consecutive Premier League games last season.
Goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen made a league-high 166 saves last term.

Cardiff
Cardiff have won four and drawn one of their last five opening fixtures.
Only Watford (39) claimed more Championship away points than Cardiff (36) in 2012-13.
No player picked up more red cards in Spain's La Liga (five) than Cardiff's new signing Gary Medel in the period he was at Sevilla (January 2011 - June 2013).

Competition:  England Premier League
Match:  West Ham v Cardiff   
Date: Saturday,17 August
Kickoff: 15:00  GMT
Venue: Upton Park
Live/Repeat: Live

Wolverhampton V Cardiff npower Championship Preview

Wolverhampton V Cardiff npower Championship Preview Feb 24, 2013

Match Preview: Sunday,24 February 2013, One of the important match Wolverhampton V Cardiff of Npower Championship HD Quality Live Wolverhampton V Cardiff streaming is availahere.Wolverhampton V Cardiff Live Stream online Npower Championship online Video Free The match will take plcae at Molineux Stadium on 2/24/13 Preview Pictures and Wallpapers its mean all things are available in my blog please see and check here for latest things.Stephen Ward is expected to regain his starting spot for struggling Wolves' home clash against Championship leaders Cardiff on Sunday.The left-back, hampered by a virus, dropped to the bench for Tuesday's disappointing 2-1 defeat at Barnsley, which plunged Wanderers into the second tier's drop zone for the first time since October 1999.But Ward has now recovered and is likely to start at Molineux as out-of-form Wolves aim to end a woeful 11-match winless run.Kevin Doyle was also dropped to the bench at Oakwell as manager Dean Saunders favoured Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in attack, a selection decision the Welshman must return to ahead of Cardiff's visit after the number nine failed to find the net.

Team News:
Defender Roger Johnson is another competing for a recall against his former employers.
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay could shuffle his pack as he looks to bounce back from just their second defeat in 18 games.
The Bluebirds were beaten 2-0 by Brighton on Tuesday night which saw their lead at the top of the npower Championship cut to five points.

Winger Craig Conway is pushing for a start after impressing as a substitute in the defeat to Gus Poyet's men, just the second time Cardiff have lost on home soil this season.


And the Scot could replace Craig Noone or Tommy Smith in the starting line-up should Mackay decide to freshen things up against Dean Saunders' struggling side.
Ben Turner came through his return to action after injury unscathed while Fraizer Campbell played for 84 minutes as he continues to build his match fitness following his move from Sunderland.

Competition: Npower Championship
Match: Wolverhampton V Cardiff
Date: Sunday,24 February
Kickoff Time: 14:00 GMT
Venue: Molineux Stadium
Live/Repeat: Live