By DPA/Xinhua
London : Chelsea will be without their goalkeeper Petr Cech for the next two weeks after he had surgery on his lips and chin following a training ground accident.
The 25-year-old suffered the injuries after a collision with a team-mate in training. He misses Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second-leg match against Fenerbahce. Cech has missed the past nine games and now faces a race to be fit for the crucial league match against Manchester United April 26 as Chelsea, presently three points behind, try to pip United to the title.
“He has been unlucky with injuries this year. But this is football – it happens,” Chelsea manager Avram Grant said. “It was a tackle between two players, it doesn’t matter who, all that matters is he is injured. This year is not a good year for him. It is his third injury.”
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Bayern coach Hitzfeld sets new Bundesliga record
Munich: Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has established a new record with his 192nd match in charge of a team at the top of the Bundesliga standings. The 59-year-old, who will become national coach of Switzerland at the end of the European championships, has taken Bayern Munich to a nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga standings.
The 3-1 victory against VfL Bochum saw him move ahead of former Bayern coach Udo Lattek and with seven games outstanding, he is expected to set the new mark at 199 by the end of the season.
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Berbatov to set up foundation for talented Bulgarians
Sofia: Bulgaria’s Footballer of 2007 and national team captain Dimiter Berbatov has announced that he will set up a foundation to support young and talented Bulgarians in all spheres. “This idea has been on my mind for quite a long time. I will help young people who want to succeed in life in any field. They may be athletes, actors and artists,” said Berbatov, a striker of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Berbatov’s idea is at an early stage, but he invited people who want to work for such a cause to join in. “I will not turn down anyone who wants to help young people. Children are the future of Bulgaria. I am doing this because I have received help from many people to become what I am. Now, I have the desire and the potential to help young talent,” he said.
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China’s Changchun Yatai vows to do well
Changchun (China): Chinese champions Changchun Yatai will do all they can to advance from AFC Champions League group stage, said the club’s president. “The club participated in the AFC Champions League on behalf of all the Chinese professional football teams, so we would never give up,” Liu Yuming, board chairman of the Chinese Super League (CSL) champion, told reporters.
Liu said that the club had expanded investment after Yatai won the Chinese Super League title last year, raising the investment budget of 2008 to $10.67 million. Yatai beat Vietnam’s Binh Duong 2-1 and held Australia’s Adelaide United 0-0 in the first two rounds of group matches.