Belgium: Marc Wilmots will take control of the Belgian national team on a temporary basis following the departure of Georges Leekens. Leekens left the post Sunday after signing a three-year deal to become the new manager of Club Brugge.
Leverkusen: Sami Hyypia and Sascha Lewandowski were yesterday named as the new management team at Bayer Leverkusen on a full-time basis. The pair took over for the final six games of the season following the dismissal of Robin Dutt and, with 14 points out of a possible 18, they have done enough to convince club bosses to appoint them on permanent deals.
Brazil: Forward Neymar and midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso will miss Brazil’s friendly against Denmark after the Brazilian Football Confederation agreed to release the Santos pair for a club match. The CBF said it had accepted a request by Santos to allow them and team-mate Rafael to play in the Libertadores Cup quarter-final against Velez Sarsfield on May 24. Brazil face Denmark in Hamburg two days later.
Deep heat: Australia coach Holger Osieck has slammed FIFA for scheduling the Socceroos’ away World Cup qualifier against Oman in the late afternoon, fearing the effects of extreme heat on his players. FIFA has listed the kick-off for the June 8 qualifier at 5 p.m. local time in Muscat, where temperatures regularly soar above 40C. “We are working on it and I think it’s unacceptable to play that time of the year,” Osieck said.
Cech: Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has been named as the Czech Republic’s player of the season by sports journalists in his homeland for a record seventh time in the last eight years. Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky was second in the Golden Ball awards with Wolfsburg midfielder Petr Jiracek third.
Giovinco: Striker Sebastian Giovinco suffered a knee injury and will be unavailable for the national team for the next ten days. On Sunday, Giovinco was named in Italy’s provisional squad for Euro 2012 by coach Cesare Prandelli after finishing the season in great form for Parma.
Guidolin: Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin, 56, has insisted he will remain in charge next season. Reports have claimed Guidolin was considering taking a one-year break from coaching after leading Udinese to third place in Serie A. “This city is my home,” Guidolin said yesterday. “I am not going anywhere. I will still be the coach of Udinese next season.”