The European Championship and our Craze

Writer: Amos Joseph

The world stands agog, united and to one common goal when it comes to football. The rate at which we crave and craze for more is exceptional.

It should be noted that the Football League season In Europe and its "environs" ended some weeks back with the UEFA champions league as the icing on the cake. The world stood still for it.
Interestingly, once again the air-wave is saturated with Beautiful and delightful football "show piece or buz" so to say. It is European football obviously. 

The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Football Association). 
Organised every four years with 16 participating countries paired and divided into four groups consisting of four teams each. It comes with surprises, upsets, and revelation.

Ukraine & Poland are hosts this time and football enthusiast across the globe are having a nice time as every game proves to be a potential cracker. The signs are there, ask the "Power houses" like The Netherlands, The Italians, The 3Lions, including almighty Spain and not forgetting Germany even the hosts. 

In our Clime, we have the African Cup of Nation organised by CAF for the Continent of Africa. Surely with it's audience(s) and excitement but obviously for those who care. Some say it's cultural imperialism.
Just as the stands are full in Ukraine and Poland, the viewing centres are occupied with the "Naira-making" business just as they do during the League season. 

One cannot but mention the obvious bias fans have for players of their favourite clubs and hatred for the opposition. It is allowed though.
Is there anyone who is not swept away by the level and modus-operandi of the snowy climes? Imperialism or not, the truth be told Africa must develop. By, this we're valued "abroad" and our affairs cause the world to Stand.

Super Falcons feed on Warriors Lagos

By: Amos Joseph
The Super Falcons of Nigeria have booked a place in the African Cup of Nations billed for November in Equitorial Guinea.

Photo: Supersport

The Falcons scored 4 times to wallop the Mighty Warriors of Zimbabwe in a match that ended 4-0 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

In the reverse fixture, the Falcons won 2-0 a fotnight ago to bring the aggregate scores to 6-0.

From the blast of the whistle, the Falcons started asking questions at the opponent's goal area which was rewarded in the 6th minute when veteran striker and current African footballer of the year got a goal. With intense pressure, the Falcon went for the second through Desire Oparanozie in the 14th minute while the third came in two minutes later from skilfull Esther Sunday in the first 45 minutes, the last goal was scored by Stella Mbachu in the 55th minute to complete the white-wash. 

Obviously, the fans were thrilled as they could not hold back but express their joy by cheering and applauding the players.

Coach of the Falcons, Kadiri Ikhana said congratulated the players for doing the nation proud  'the victory is expected, the girls went out and did what they had to do, attention now shifts to the friendly we have against South Africa'.

In relation to the absence of fans in the stadium, Aisha Falode stated that 'despite the absence of the Lagos fans, the girls took to the field and got maximum victory'.

Meanwhile, They are now expected to host London Olympics-bound Banyana Banyana of South Africa next weekend also in Lagos in a friendly match. When both teams first clashed a fortnight ago, it finished 1-1 in South Africa

'The police didn't rescue Christian Obodo, we did,' says community

The police yesterday took credit for the rescue of kidnapped footballer Christian Obodo, telling newsmen that they stormed the kidnappers den, rescued Obodo and arrested most of the kidnappers. But the people who live in the community where the footballer was rescued are now saying that the police had no hand in saving the footballer. According to their story, Christian Obodo escaped from the hands of the kidnappers when he was taken to a restaurant to eat last night. The footballer started screaming for help, saying that he had been kidnapped. The people in the community swiftly came to his recuse before the kidnappers could coma after him again.

They claim that they were the ones who invited the police, who then took Obodo away. According to the people of Isoko community, no one was arrested.

Platini warns Euro 2012 players: Not to Walk out of the pitch if suffer racist abuse

Mario Balotelli has said he will leave the pitch if there are racists chants in Poland and Ukraine

 

Warning: UEFA President Michel Platini says players will be booked if they walk off the pitch after suffering racist abuse

Uefa boss Michel Platini last night warned Euro 2012 stars they would be punished if they walked off the pitch after suffering racist abuse.
Italy’s Mario Balotelli claimed last week he would stop playing if he became the target of racist chants in Poland and Ukraine.
But Platini said that far from being supported, the act of protest would be met with a caution.
“It is not Mr Balotelli who is in charge of refereeing,” Platini said. “It is the referee who takes these decisions.”
Then Platini checked with former referee Pierluigi Collina, who was sitting in the audience at a press conference at the National Stadium here.

 

I am the law: Former Italian referee Pierluigi Collina

The FA via Getty

“Yes,” Platini said, “if a player leaves the field on their own, it is a yellow card.”
Platini’s inflexible stance will dismay those who are already concerned that matches at the tournament could be marred by racism.
But the Uefa president was keen to stress that he would back referees if they decided to cancel a match because of persistent racist crowd abuse.
“I am hoping that eastern European fans will make this tournament a great celebration, not a problem,” Platini said.
“But we will stop the game if there are problems because I think racism is the worst of these.
“We have given referees the power to stop games temporarily if they see a problem like this and then to cancel the game definitively if the racism keeps rearing its head.
“If the game is stopped, the matter will be referred to our disciplinary committee and they have a zero tolerance policy.”

Fergie gets a new Ka: Manchester United announce Shinji Kagawa deal

Move is still subject to a medical being completed and a work permit being issued

 

Old Trafford bound: Shinji Kagawa is set to sign for Man United

Manchester United are set to make their first signing of the summer after confirming they have "reached agreement" to buy Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund.
Negotiations have been on-going with the Japan international for a number of weeks.
The deal is subject to a medical and work permit, although this is thought to be a formality.
It is not anticipated the deal will be completed until the end of the month as Kagawa is currently on international duty and played in Japan's 3-0 World Cup qualifying round victory over Oman at the weekend.

Premier League - Barton off on holiday after arrest

Premier League footballer Joey Barton is on his way to Portugal for a holiday after being released from police custody on Monday night following his arrest for affray.

The Queens Park Rangers midfielder, 29, was involved in trouble in the early hours of Monday morning while on a night out with his girlfriend in Liverpool city centre.
Two men were arrested at the scene, outside Garlands nightclub, and Barton and a 20-year-old man were arrested on Monday afternoon. All have been bailed. After his release, Barton said via Twitter: "Looking forward to Portugal now tomo. Bit of rest and lots of golf..."
Two men, aged 21 and from the Old Swan area of Liverpool, were arrested on suspicion of a public order offence at around 5.30am at the scene of the incident. Barton was released on bail on Monday night by Merseyside Police pending further inquiries. The three other men were bailed earlier.

It's the final countdown: All 16 of the Euro 2012 confirmed squads in full

No changing your mind now - these are the final 23-man squads for the nations competing at this summer's Euro 2012 Championship

 

European Championship 2012

Czech Republic squad

 

Czech Republic Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea FC), Jaroslav Drobný (Hamburger SV) , Jan Laštuvka (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk).
Defenders: Theodor Gebre Selassie (FC Slovan Liberec), Roman Hubník (Hertha BSC Berlin), Michal Kadlec (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), David Limberský (FC Viktoria Plzen), Tomáš Sivok (Besiktas JK), Marek Suchý (FC Spartak Moskva).
Midfielders: Vladimír Darida (FC Viktoria Plzen), Tomáš Hübschman (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Petr Jirácek (VfL Wolfsburg), Daniel Kolár (FC Viktoria Plzen), Milan Petržela (FC Viktoria Plzen), Václav Pilar (VfL Wolfsburg), Jaroslav Plašil (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), František Rajtoral (FC Viktoria Plzen), Tomáš Rosický (Arsenal FC).
Forwards: Milan Baroš (Galatasaray), David Lafata (FK Jablonec), Tomáš Necid (PFC CSKA Moskva), Tomáš Pekhart (1. FC Nürnberg), Jan Rezek (Anorthosis Famagusta FC).

Croatia squad

 

Croatia Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (FC Rostov), Ivan Kelava (GNK Dinamo Zagreb), Danijel Subašic (AS Monaco FC).
Defenders: Jurica Buljat (Maccabi Haifa FC), Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Danijel Pranjic (FC Bayern München), Gordon Schildenfeld (Eintracht Frankfurt), Josip Šimunic (GNK Dinamo Zagreb), Darijo Srna (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivan Strinic (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Domagoj Vida (GNK Dinamo Zagreb).
Midfielders: Milan Badelj (GNK Dinamo Zagreb), Tomislav Dujmovic (FC Dinamo Moskva), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburger SV), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Ivan Perišic (Borussia Dortmund), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla FC), Ognjen Vukojevic (FC Dynamo Kyiv).
Forwards: Eduardo (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Nikica Jelavic (Everton FC), Mario Mandžukic (VfL Wolfsburg), Ivica Olic (VfL Wolfsburg).

Denmark squad

 

Denmark Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Stephan Andersen (Évian Thonon Gaillard FC), Anders Lindegaard (Manchester United FC), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City FC).
Defenders: Lars Jacobsen (FC København), Daniel Wass (Évian Thonon Gaillard FC), Daniel Agger (Liverpool FC), Simon Kjær (AS Roma), Andreas Bjelland (FC Nordsjælland), Simon Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar), Jores Okore (FC Nordsjælland).
Midfielders: Christian Poulsen (Évian Thonon Gaillard FC), Jakob Poulsen (FC Midtjylland), William Kvist (1. FC Nürnberg), Niki Zimling (Club Brugge KV), Thomas Kahlenberg (Évian Thonon Gaillard FC), Christian Eriksen (AFC Ajax), Michael Silberbauer (BSC Young Boys), Lasse Schøne (NEC Nijmegen).
Forwards: Dennis Rommedahl (Brøndby IF), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal FC), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brøndby IF), Tobias Mikkelsen (FC Nordsjælland), Nicklas Pedersen (FC Groningen).

England squad

 

England Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City FC), Robert Green (West Ham United FC), Jack Butland (Birmingham City FC).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton FC), Gary Cahill (Chelsea FC), Ashley Cole (Chelsea FC), Glen Johnson (Liverpool FC), Phil Jones (Manchester United FC), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City FC), John Terry (Chelsea FC).
Midfielders: Phil Jagielka (Everton FC), Stewart Downing (Liverpool FC), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), Frank Lampard (Chelsea FC), James Milner (Manchester City FC), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal FC), Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Theo Walcott (Arsenal FC), Ashley Young (Manchester United FC).
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool FC), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FC)*, Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United FC).

France squad

 

France Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Cédric Carrasso (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyonnais), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille).
Defenders: Gaël Clichy (Manchester City FC), Mathieu Debuchy (LOSC Lille Métropole), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal FC), Philippe Mexès (AC Milan), Adil Rami (Valencia CF), Anthony Réveillère (Olympique Lyonnais).
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United FC), Alou Diarra (Olympique de Marseille), Florent Malouda (Chelsea FC), Marvin Martin (FC Sochaux-Montbéliard), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain FC), Yann M'Vila (Stade Rennais FC), Samir Nasri (Manchester City FC).
Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United FC), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid CF), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier Hérault SC), Jérémy Menez (Paris Saint-Germain FC), Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique de Marseille).

Germany squad

 

Germany Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München), Tim Wiese (SV Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96).
Defenders: Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern München), Jérôme Boateng (FC Bayern München), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal FC).
Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Toni Kroos (FC Bayern München), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid CF), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid CF), Marco Reus (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), André Schürrle (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gündogan (Borussia Dortmund).
Forwards: Miroslav Klose (S.S. Lazio), Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal).

Greece squad

 

 

Greece Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Kostas Chalkias (PAOK FC), Michalis Sifakis (Aris Thessaloniki FC), Alexandros Tzorvas (US Città di Palermo).
Defenders: Vassilis Torossidis (Olympiacos FC), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (FC Schalke 04), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (SV Werder Bremen), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiacos FC), José Holebas (Olympiacos FC), Giorgos Tzavellas (AS Monaco FC), Stelios Malezas (PAOK FC).
Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos FC), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos FC), Giannis Maniatis (Olympiacos FC), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK FC), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens FC), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiacos FC), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos FC), Kostas Fortounis (1. FC Kaiserslautern).
Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK FC), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic FC), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK Athens FC), Kostas Mitroglou (Atromitos FC).

Italy squad

 

 

Italy Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (SSC Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint-Germain FC).
Defenders: Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Federico Balzaretti (US Città di Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Christian Maggio (SSC Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino FC).
Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna FC), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus) Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (ACF Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint-Germain FC), Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus).
Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City FC), Fabio Borini (AS Roma), Antonio Cassano (AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio), Sebastian Giovinco (FC Parma).

Netherlands squad

 

Holland Euro 2012 Home/Away kit

Goalkeepers: Tim Krul (Newcastle United FC), Maarten Stekelenburg (AS Roma), Michel Vorm (Swansea City AFC).
Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart), Wilfred Bouma (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Everton FC), Joris Mathijsen (Málaga CF), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (AFC Ajax), Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven).
Midfielders: Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City FC), Stijn Schaars (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Wesley Sneijder (FC Internazionale Milano), Kevin Strootman (PSV Eindhoven), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur FC).
Forwards: Ibrahim Afellay (FC Barcelona), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (FC Schalke 04), Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool FC), Luciano Narsingh (sc Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal FC), Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München).

Poland squad

 

Poland Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal FC), Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV Eindhoven), Grzegorz Sandomierski (KRC Genk).
Defenders: Sebastian Boenisch (SV Werder Bremen), Marcin Kaminski (KKS Lech Poznan), Damien Perquis (FC Sochaux-Montbéliard), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Marcin Wasilewski (RSC Anderlecht), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warszawa), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (KKS Lech Poznan).
Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor), Adam Matuszczyk (Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Rafal Murawski (KKS Lech Poznan), Eugen Polanski (1. FSV Mainz), Ludovic Obraniak (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Maciej Rybus (FC Terek Grozny), Rafal Wolski (Legia Warszawa).
Forwards: Pawel Brozek (Celtic FC), Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96).

Portugal squad

 

Portugal Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Eduardo (SL Benfica), Rui Patrício (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Beto (CFR 1907 Cluj).
Defenders: João Pereira (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Fábio Coentrão (Real Madrid CF), Bruno Alves (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Rolando (FC Porto), Ricardo Costa (Valencia CF), Pepe (Real Madrid CF), Miguel Lopes (SC Braga).
Midfielders: Raúl Meireles (Chelsea FC), Miguel Veloso (Genoa CFC), João Moutinho (FC Porto), Rúben Micael (Real Zaragoza), Hugo Viana (SC Braga), Custódio (SC Braga).
Forwards: Nani (Manchester United FC), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas JK), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas JK), Silvestre Varela (FC Porto), Hélder Postiga (Real Zaragoza), Nélson Oliveira (SL Benfica).

Republic of Ireland squad

 

Ireland Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Aston Villa FC), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland AFC), David Forde (Millwall FC).
Defenders: John O'Shea (Sunderland AFC), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa FC), Stephen Ward (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Sean St Ledger (Leicester City FC), Darren O'Dea (Celtic FC), Stephen Kelly (Fulham FC), Paul McShane (Hull City AFC).
Midfielders: Glenn Whelan (Stoke City FC), Keith Andrews (West Bromwich Albion FC), Aiden McGeady (FC Spartak Moskva), Darron Gibson (Everton FC), Paul Green (unattached), Damien Duff (Fulham FC), Stephen Hunt (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), James McClean (Sunderland AFC).
Forwards: Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Shane Long (West Bromwich Albion FC), Jonathan Walters (Stoke City FC), Simon Cox (West Bromwich Albion FC).

Russia squad

 

Russia Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vyacheslav Malafeev (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Anton Shunin (FC Dinamo Moskva).
Defenders: Aleksandr Anyukov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksei Berezutski (PFC CSKA Moskva), Sergei Ignashevich (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vladimir Granat (FC Dinamo Moskva), Yuri Zhirkov (FC Anzhi Makhachkala), Dmitri Kombarov (FC Spartak Moskva), Roman Sharonov (FC Rubin Kazan), Kirill Nababkin (PFC CSKA Moskva).
Midfielders: Igor Denisov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Glushakov (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Igor Semshov (FC Dinamo Moskva), Marat Izmailov (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Alan Dzagoev (PFC CSKA Moskva).
Forwards: Andrey Arshavin (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kerzhakov (FC Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kokorin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Roman Pavlyuchenko (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Fulham FC).

Spain squad

 

Spain Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF), Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona), Pepe Reina (Liverpool FC).
Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona), Jordi Alba (Valencia CF), Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid CF), Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid CF), Juanfran (Club Atlético de Madrid), Javi Martínez (Athletic Club).
Midfielders: Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona), Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid CF), David Silva (Manchester City FC), Santi Cazorla (Málaga CF), Jesús Navas (Sevilla FC), Cesc Fàbregas (FC Barcelona), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona).
Forwards: Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club), Juan Mata (Chelsea FC), Fernando Torres (Chelsea FC), Pedro Rodríguez (FC Barcelona), Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla FC).

Sweden squad

 

 

Sweden Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Par Hansson (Helsingborgs), Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland (Copenhagen).
Defenders: Mikael Antonsson (Bologna), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa), Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Olof Mellberg (Olympiacos), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich), Martin Olsson (Blackburn), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht).
Midfielders: Emir Bajrami (Twente), Rasmus Elm (Alkmaar), Samuel Holmen (Istanbul BB), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Christian Wilhelmsson (Al Hilal).
Forwards: Johan Elmander (Galatasaray), Tobias Hysen (IFK Gothenburg), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven).

Ukraine squad

 

Ukraine Euro 2012 Home/Away kit  

Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Goryainov (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Maxym Koval (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Pyatov (FC Shakhtar Donetsk).
Defenders: Bohdan Butko (FC Illychivets Mariupil), Olexandr Kucher (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Taras Mikhalik (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Yevhen Selin (FC Vorskla Poltava), Yevhen Khacheridi (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (FC Shakhtar Donetsk).
Midfielders: Olexandr Aliyev (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Denys Garmash (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Oleh Gusev (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Yevhen Konoplyanka (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Serhiy Nazarenko (SC Tavriya Simferopol), Ruslan Rotan (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (FC Bayern München), Andriy Yarmolenko (FC Dynamo Kyiv).
Forwards: Andriy Voronin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Marko Devic (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Artem Milevskiy (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Yevhen Seleznyov (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Shevchenko (FC Dynamo Kyiv).

Kuyt: I wasn't forced out by Rodgers

Forward makes surprise move as new boss clears decks for summer of signings

 

Wembley winner: Dirk Kuyt celebrates after scoring in the Carling Cup win over Cardiff

Dirk Kuyt has denied he was forced out of Liverpool by new boss Brendan Rodgers - insisting he was desperate to join Fenerbahce.
The 31-year-old has joined the Turkish giants on a three-year contract, ending his six-year spell on Merseyside.
Kuyt said:  "After six years I am ready for a new challenge," Kuyt said. "The appointment of the new coach has nothing to do with it. But when Fenerbahce came to me and made their ambitions known, from the first moment I was sold. They give me the confidence that I lost."
Kuyt, who had a year to run on his Anfield contract, had been expected to leave Merseyside this summer after a season in which he scored just two Premier League goals.
He claimed last week he had attracted interest from a host of clubs across Europe.

Liverpool star Bellamy launches club's new jersey in Singapore

   

Liverpool soccer player Craig Bellamy wears the 2012/2013 Liverpool FC home kit on Friday, June 1, 2012 in Singapore.

Liverpool star Craig Bellamy is in town to launch the club's new home jersey with United States sportswear company Warrior Sports. The 32-year-old striker donned the Reds' re-designed kit for the first time at the Fullerton Hotel this afternoon. The former Welsh captain kicked balls from the second floor of the hotel onto a bumboat stationed on the Singapore River.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to 'fight for success in the city'

New Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has promised he will "fight for his life" to bring success and ultimately the title to Anfield.

Rodgers, 39, was confirmed as Kenny Dalglish's successor at Anfield after Liverpool and his club Swansea agreed a compensation deal.
"I promise I'll fight for my life and for the people in this city," said the Northern Irishman.

Liverpool boss Rodgers 'Proud' to Succeed Kenny Daglish 

Liverpool have confirmed that Brendan Rodgers is their new manager after agreeing a compensation package with Swansea. More
Brendan Rodgers has revealed his pride at being appointed manager of Liverpool.The 39-year-old left Swansea for Anfield after a compensation package was agreed between the two clubs.
"I'm very proud, it's a club with wonderful tradition and I feel very blessed with the opportunity to manage the club," Rodgers said at his unveiling on Friday morning.