Football news

Former Brazilian international midfielder Juninho has joined Qatar League champions Al Gharafa after eight successful seasons with French club Lyon.

The 34-year-old signed a two-year contract worth €2.5 million with the Qatari club on Wednesday, making Al Gharafa his fourth club after stints with Recife and Vasco da Gama.

Al Gharafa official Mahmoud Al Ghazal said Juninho's talent and experience would help his team retain the league title and launch a serious assault on next season's Asian Champions League.

Vermaelen set for Arsenal switch

Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen was yesterday set to have a medical at Arsenal as he bids to complete a move to the Gunners from Dutch side Ajax.

Vermaelen told the Gazet van Antwerpen newspaper he was on the way to sign a four-year deal with the Gunners.

"Arsenal are a fantastic club with a coach who backs the beautiful game. I am going to go up against the best strikers in the world but that doesn't scare me," he insisted.

Media reports say Arsenal and Ajax have agreed a fee of around €13 million for the 23-year-old.

Iran players show support for Mousavi

Several Iranian footballers wore green wrist bands to symbolise support for defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi during their 2010 World Cup qualifier in Seoul.

At least six of the 11 Iranian players wore the green bands during the match against South Korea on Wednesday night.

At the Seoul stadium, dozens of some 200 Iranian supporters waved their national flag inscribed with "Free Iran," chanted "Where is my vote?" and held up portraits of Mousavi.

Some pro-Mousavi supporters scuffled with people who appeared to be staff from the Iranian embassy in Seoul, who were trying to stop the protest.

Cissokho move to Milan cancelled

French left back Aly Cissokho's move from Porto to Milan has collapsed after the player failed a medical, the Portuguese champions said in a statement yesterday.

Porto announced on Sunday that they had agreed to sell Cissokho to Milan but a dental problem uncovered in a medical on Tuesday prompted the Italians to renegotiate the terms of the transfer.

Media reports said the original fee agreed was about 15 million euros ($20.93 million).

The Serie A club's chief executive Adriano Galliani said earlier yesterday that doctors had found a dental problem that causes muscular trouble and which could deteriorate.

He added that Porto had accepted the idea of loaning the 21-year-old to Milan with an option for a permanent move, but had not agreed to the fee proposed by the Italian side.

Real Madrid step up Ribery chase

Franck Ribery's move from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid is moving closer to becoming reality, Zinedine Zidane was quoted as saying yesterday.

Asked about the talks over Ribery, Zidane, who is special advisor to Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez, said: "They are progressing well. I am doing all I can to get this move done."

Real Madrid have already signed Kaka from Milan and Manchester United have accepted a world record £80 million bid from the Spanish club for Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to media reports, Bayern Munich have turned down a €55 million offer from Real Madrid for Ribery.

Barca begin title defence on Aug. 31

Barcelona will begin the defence of their Spanish league title on August 31 three days after playing Shakhtar Donetsk in the European Super Cup, the Spanish football league (LFP) said.

All other Primera Liga matches in the opening round of the 2009/10 season will take place on the weekend of August 29/30 and the final round will be on May 15/16.

The final of the King's Cup has been scheduled for May 26 but this may be moved to May 23 if there is no Spanish team in the final of the Champions League in Madrid on May 22.

The first leg of the Spanish Super Cup between Barca and Athletic Bilbao will take place on August 16 in Bilbao.

The calendar needs to be aproved by the Spanish soccer federation.

Ronaldo will regret leaving Utd - Charlton

Manchester United great Bobby Charlton believes Cristiano Ronaldo will eventually regret leaving Old Trafford and the £80 million fee the club have accepted from Real Madrid is "vulgar".

"It's a lot of money, it's crazy really," the United director told a news conference to announce the club's five-year partnership deal with Chinese electronics firm Aigo.

"He is a great player and has been with us for five or six years and in that time he has improved beyond all recognition.

"I suppose, in time, he will reflect, and say, that the best time he ever had in football was when he was at Manchester United. It was better for him and it was fantastic for the club."