World Football Shorts US duo seal Liverpool deal

LIVERPOOL – American tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks yesterday sealed their 470 million pound takeover of Liverpool.

The two are also National Hockey league team owners. The London Stock Exchange could be told as soon as today that chairman David Moores has agreed to sell his majority shareholding to the Americans.Gillett, who owns the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, joined forces with Hicks, owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers baseball team, to trump rival bidders Dubai International Capital last week.Arrangements over the future of Liverpool’s new stadium appear to have clinched the deal.Not only has Hicks built up a reputation for developing state-of-the-art stadia for his teams, but the duo have now guaranteed that Liverpool’s new Stanley Park ground would not be shared with other teams.Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa are all in American hands.Malcolm Glazer, owner of American football’s (NFL) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owns United and Randy Lerner, owner of NFL’s Cleveland Browns, bought Aston Villa last year.Hamburg goals too small BERLIN – Hamburg SV have scored fewer goals than any Bundesliga club this season and the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper has discovered one possible cause the goals in their home stadium could be too small.The newspaper reported that the goals in the Hamburg Arena stand 2.39 metres high, with the crossbar five centimetres lower than the prescribed 2.44 metres.”Obviously we’re going to measure that again,” HSV spokesman Joern Wolf told Germany’s SID sports news agency.”If those numbers reported are correct, we will make sure we have a new goal in place that conforms with the rules by the next match against Borussia Dortmund.It’s a good thing no one hit the crossbar last week in the Energie Cottbus match.”If confirmed, it would be another embarrassing setback for Hamburg, who started the season hoping to win the championship after finishing third last season.They are bottom of the standings and last week sacked coach Thomas Doll.Italy vows tough security rules ROME – Italy’s government vowed yesterday to push ahead with tough new security measures including closed-door matches for all stadiums which do not reach safety standards.The measures were announced on Monday after all play was suspended following the death of policeman Filippo Raciti during rioting at a Serie A derby in Sicily between Catania and Palermo on Friday.”We have a duty to resist the pressures that will come from the world of football.Because human life and the right to public safety are worth much more than economic interests,” Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told parliament.On Monday, Antonio Matarrese, who represents the financial interests of teams as head of the league, drew criticism for saying “the show must go on” and that matches should resume.Ball boy banned for hitting keeper RIO DE JANEIRO – A Brazilian ball boy was banned on Monday for hitting a goalkeeper with an iron bar during a regional match at the weekend.The Paulista (Sao Paulo state) football federation said on its Web site that Carlos Marcio dos Reis had been suspended for 30 days over the incident during the second division match between Comercial and Botafogo-Riberao Preto.Comercial’s Palma Travassos stadium was also closed until further notice and the federation will in future select the ball boys for the team’s home matches.”The behaviour could have led to serious incidents,” said the federation’s disciplinary tribunal in a statement.Television pictures showed the boy hiding the ball behind an advertising board instead of handing it to Botafogo goalkeeper Marcao.When Marcao tried to fetch the ball, the two argued and he was hit several times with an iron bar.The goalkeeper, who was not injured and carried on playing, did not react and the ball boy was led away by security officials.Comercial won the match 1-0.Nampa-Reuters, AFPThe London Stock Exchange could be told as soon as today that chairman David Moores has agreed to sell his majority shareholding to the Americans.Gillett, who owns the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, joined forces with Hicks, owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers baseball team, to trump rival bidders Dubai International Capital last week.Arrangements over the future of Liverpool’s new stadium appear to have clinched the deal.Not only has Hicks built up a reputation for developing state-of-the-art stadia for his teams, but the duo have now guaranteed that Liverpool’s new Stanley Park ground would not be shared with other teams.Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa are all in American hands.Malcolm Glazer, owner of American football’s (NFL) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owns United and Randy Lerner, owner of NFL’s Cleveland Browns, bought Aston Villa last year.Hamburg goals too small BERLIN – Hamburg SV have scored fewer goals than any Bundesliga club this season and the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper has discovered one possible cause the goals in their home stadium could be too small.The newspaper reported that the goals in the Hamburg Arena stand 2.39 metres high, with the crossbar five centimetres lower than the prescribed 2.44 metres.”Obviously we’re going to measure that again,” HSV spokesman Joern Wolf told Germany’s SID sports news agency.”If those numbers reported are correct, we will make sure we have a new goal in place that conforms with the rules by the next match against Borussia Dortmund.It’s a good thing no one hit the crossbar last week in the Energie Cottbus match.”If confirmed, it would be another embarrassing setback for Hamburg, who started the season hoping to win the championship after finishing third last season.They are bottom of the standings and last week sacked coach Thomas Doll.Italy vows tough security rules ROME – Italy’s government vowed yesterday to push ahead with tough new security measures including closed-door matches for all stadiums which do not reach safety standards.The measures were announced on Monday after all play was suspended following the death of policeman Filippo Raciti during rioting at a Serie A derby in Sicily between Catania and Palermo on Friday.”We have a duty to resist the pressures that will come from the world of football.Because human life and the right to public safety are worth much more than economic interests,” Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told parliament.On Monday, Antonio Matarrese, who represents the financial interests of teams as head of the league, drew criticism for saying “the show must go on” and that matches should resume.Ball boy banned for hitting keeper RIO DE JANEIRO – A Brazilian ball boy was banned on Monday for hitting a goalkeeper with an iron bar during a regional match at the weekend.The Paulista (Sao Paulo state) football federation said on its Web site that Carlos Marcio dos Reis had been suspended for 30 days over the incident during the second division match between Comercial and Botafogo-Riberao Preto.Comercial’s Palma Travassos stadium was also closed until further notice and the federation will in future select the ball boys for the team’s home matches.”The behaviour could have led to serious incidents,” said the federation’s disciplinary tribunal in a statement.Television pictures showed the boy hiding the ball behind an advertising board instead of handing it to Botafogo goalkeeper Marcao.When Marcao tried to fetch the ball, the two argued and he was hit several times with an iron bar.The goalkeeper, who was not injured and carried on playing, did not react and the ball boy was led away by security officials.Comercial won the match 1-0.Nampa-Reuters, AFP