Impending UEFA Crackdown on Big Spenders

The Times of London sounded the alarm back in November with this article and now it appears imminent that UEFA will restrict the big spending habits of some of Europe's richest clubs.

In a 60-page plan being worked up at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, clubs would only be able to spend only what they earn and not be allowed to take on large debts (and operating at a loss) to fund player acquisitions.

The entire effort is an attempt by UEFA president, Michel Platini (pictured above), to end what he calls "financial doping" – in which wealthy owners underwrite huge losses, and transition to a system where clubs can only spend what they earn.

These proposals, which UEFA intends to bring online 2012, will permit owners to fund losses for a transitional period but under close scrutiny by the governing body. Initially losses of up to €45 million would be acceptable in the three years up to 2015. After that, the number will drop to €30 million over the next three years, with UEFA finally reaching a point where clubs are breaking even.

It seems these proposals are intended to fulfill two objectives. First, the ensure the solvency of Europe's biggest clubs to ensure their financial survival in tough economic times and secondly, to level the financial playing field in the European game; bolstering competition and making the leagues more attractive to fans who are tiring of seeing the same handful of clubs win all the trophies.

While much of the attention in the English language press has focused on the Premiership clubs, the need for these new rules is most starkly displayed in the Spanish Primera, where club revenues average €72 million but average net debt is €860 million - the kind of ratios we're used to seeing in failing Wall Street banks, not big football clubs.

Will these new rules have the desired effect or will clever owners find a way to circumvent them, by (for example) funding player bonuses through advertising schemes, etc? Or, will the big clubs. with broad brand recognition, continue to outpace the smaller clubs in revenues and stay on top? Only time will tell but its obvious that you won't see much change on this until the 2018-2020 timeframe when the policy (if it survives) is fully in effect and operating through two full transfer cycles.

Donovan to wrap up Munich tenure and rejoin Galaxy in MLS

Bob Wagman has a great piece on Landon Donovan's return to MLS over at Soccer Times. Chcek it out here.

Coppa Italia Shock: Sampdoria Beats Inter 3-0

The shocker in Coppa Italia tonight is the 3-0 butt-whuppin' Sampdoria just handed the mighty Inter Milan 3-0, with all goals coming in the first half. Samp is on a tear, having just put the wood to AC Milan, and now beating up on the other Milan team. Regardless of who the coach has been the past few years, Inter knows how to win the Scudetto but they always seem to choke in the Coppa.

The question now for Jose Mourinho's Nerazzurri is whether they can leverage this loss into the motivation they need for their Champion's League second leg match against Manchester United in Old Trafford.

Other upsets in European cup play tonight was Bayer Leverkusen's 4-2 win over Bayern Munich, which knocked the Bavarian powerhouse out of the DFB Pokal (German Cup). This loss is sure to put extra pressure on embattled Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann, whose team is making a strong showing in the Champion's League but not in the Bundesliga.

The fifth place Bayern, is only four points shy of league leaders Hertha Berlin and it seems winning some silverware may be necessary for Klinsmann to keep his job.

Donovan Sees Sub Minutes In Bayern Win Over Dortmund

Landon Donovan saw 18 minutes of playing time tonight in Bayern Munich's 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, coming on for Luca Toni in the 72nd minute with the score tied at 1-1. Donovan's smart runs up front opened space for Bayern's Miroslav Klose to score goals in the 88th and 90th minutes.

Midfielder Sal Zizzo dressed but did not play for Hannover in their 3-1 loss to Energie Cottbus while Steve Cherundolo, out with an injury, did not suit up.

In the Second Bundesliga, Grover Gibson is still out injured so he missed Rot-Weiss Ahlen's 2-1 win over his old club FC Augsburg.

Bayern Stomps Stuttgart In German Cup Quarterfinal

Bayern Munich put the league on notice that they are taking no prisoners when Bundesliga play resumes this weekend after tonight's 5-1 thrashing of VFB Stuttgart in a German Cup quarterfinal match. Bastian Schweinsteiger opened up scoring for Bayern with a 14th minute goal followed two minutes later by Franck Ribéry in the 16rth for a 2-0 lead. Just before halftime Luca Toni scored to send the team to the locker room with a 3-0 lead.

In the second half, Schweinsteiger scored a 55th minute another goal on a penalty for a 4-0 lead, and five minutes later a shell shocked Stuttgart side saw Zé Roberto make it 5-0. American Landon Donovan came on in the 69th minute for Luca Toni and almost made it 6-0 a few minutes later with a shot that went just wide.

Finally, in the 85th minute Stuttgart's Mario Gomez (a previous Bayern transfer target) saved some honor for the Swabian side with a goal to cut the deficit to 4 at 5-1 - a score which stood until the final whistle.

Donovan Does It Again!

Landon Donovan made a substitute appearance in Bayern Munich's friendly against FSV Mainz tonight, scoring just ten minutes after stepping onto the field. Then in the 90th minute, he scored again! That makes three winter friendlies in which Donovan has scored a total of four goals for the Bavarian giants - a strong statement that he plans for this stint in Germany to be much different than previous ones.

Just five days before their German Cup match against VFB Stuttgart, Bayern appears to be firing on all cylinders, putting five past Mainz in a 5-0 romp.

And as promised earlier, here is a better rundown on the match from our man in Germany, the one and only Keith Richardson, an old friend from my Germany days. Keith, a fellow Nuernberg fan, used to be part of the cabal of expats covering Americans Abroad for Soccer Times (along with Harris King, Mark Flannery, and others). More recently, Keith is the English language translator for Borussia Dortmund's official website while readers who hang out on BigSoccer probably know him better as Footyfan1

Take it away Keith...

By the time Landon Donovan entered the match in the 60th minute, Bayern was already ahead 2-0 through goals from Germany international striker Miroslav Klose in the 4th minute and Italy international striker Luca Toni in the 55th minute.

Let me note now that I am not a big Landon Donovan fan. I’m one of the few USA fans who still have a hard time with the way Landon’s first two tries here in Germany ended. However, some of the guys over at BigSoccer have convinced me that I should finally totally forgive him. Which I am working on, but I can’t say I’m a fan.

Now, given my feelings, it should not be a shock to anyone that the first thing I noticed when Landon entered the match is how much shorter he was than every other player on the pitch. But I also knew what Landon lacks in physical stature, he more than makes up for in talent and hustle. I may not be a fan of his, but I certainly have an open mind and I am fair whether dishing out praise or criticism.

Having said all of this, you will understand why I was laughing my head off on the 70th minute of the match when Landon scored on a HEADER of all things after a cross from Italian Massimo Oddo out on the left wing. Oddo’s cross went over Bayern’s Germany international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger in the middle of the Mainz penalty area. And before you ask, no, not all of Bayern’s players are internationals, but the majority of them are! Anyhow, as the ball flew over Schweinsteiger, Landon was behind him unmarked and Landon then put a perfect header into the left corner of the Mainz goal to give Bayern a 3-0 lead.

Two minutes later, the aforementioned Schweinsteiger raised Bayern’s lead to 4-0 after simply tapping the ball in from about eight yards out after a nice cross from Bayern’s Germany international midfielder Tim Borowski.

In the 82nd minute of the match, Donovan, who has had quite impressive performances in his test matches for Bayern, put the ball in the back of the Mainz net once again. However, before he could even begin to celebrate, he noticed the lineman’s flag up. The call was a tight one, but television replays confirmed the call was correct.

However, on this night, Donovan was not going to be denied his second goal. Just before the end of the 90 minutes, a pass was pulled back to Donovan who had just entered the Mainz penalty area. Landon put a blast straight at Mainz goalkeeper Christian Wetklo. However, the shot was so hard, that Wetklo, despite getting his hand up in time, allowed the ball to deflect off his hands and just behind him before he could slap it back into play. The Mainz defense played on as if the ball never crossed the line, but the same linesman who denied Donovan goal glory in the 82nd minute made it clear that the ball did indeed cross the goal line after deflecting off Wetklo’s hands.

Shortly afterward, referee Dr. Jochen Drees sounded the final whistle sealing Bayern’s 5-0 victory at Mainz.

I don’t have any problem in saying that my Man of Match was indeed Landon Donovan. Donovan kept up his string of good performances for Bayern, now having scored at least once in Bayern’s last three test matches. Landon has showed hustle and desire for Bayern. He hasn’t faced 1st Bundesliga level competition yet, but Bayern’s last two matches, against 1. FC Kaiserslautern this past weekend and Mainz tonight were against top 2nd Bundesliga sides who are both in contention for promotion to the 1st Bundesliga for next season.

With Lukas Podolski’s downturn, if Landon Donovan can continue the impressive performances he has been turning in when Bayern starts German Cup, Bundesliga and Champions League competition, Bayern may have a pretty tough decision to make when Landon’s loan expires in March.

Donovan's First Goal:



And the Second:

Donovan, Bayern Win In Bamberg Snowball Match

After all those years in sunny southern California, Landon Donovan may have forgotten just how cold and snowy it can be when German football enters orange ball season. If practicing all week in the cold and blowing snow wasn't enough top remind him, playing the second half of a friendly today at Regionalliga side Eintracht Bamberg should have done the trick.

Playing in front of 15,000 hearty Franconian fans in a snow-filled Waldstadion von Weismain, Bayern showed up missing six key players due to illness injuries including Mark van Bommel, Franck Ribéry, Lukas Podolski, José Sosa, Lucio, und Toni Kroos.

The match started 30 minutes late after the Bayern team bus got caught in a traffic jam caused by the heavy snowfall but that did not stop Luca Toni from tossing a few snowballs at teammates during warmup.

The poor field conditions made it difficult for either team to put together any fluid passing. Nonetheless, Bayern did get some good chances early while Bamberg barely threatened FCB's goal. After 27 minutes Tim Borowski finished a good combination with Miroslav Klose to open up a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later Bayern's Phillip Lahm slalomed the defense well and finished well to stretch the margin to 2-0.

Donovan came on as one of five subs in the second half paired up front with Luca Toni. Donovan helped to set up a 50th minute chance which Toni could not convert and the two combined well on the sloppy field throughout the half. Bayern's third goal came when a clearance from Bamberg keeper Stephan Kurz' clearance found the feet of Klose, who hammered it home for a 3-0 lead. Bamberg managed one more scoring chance in the 71st minute which was well saved by Joerg Butt to preserve the win.

After the match, Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann remarked to the German media that "Above all, it was a big adjustment for Landon Donovan and Luca Toni to play on the snow."

Game Stats:

1. FC Eintracht Bamberg 0 FC Bayern 3 (0:2)

1. FC Eintracht Bamberg: Essig (83rd Horcher) - Pickel, Bechmann, Grasser, Stumpf - Dennerlein, Kaiser, Dotterweich, Zang, Deptalla - Heyer

FC Bayern Munich: Rensing (46th Butt) - Oddo, Van Buyten (46th Donovan), Demichelis (46th Breno), Lahm (46th Lell) - Altintop , Ottl, Zé Roberto (46th Schweinsteiger), Borowski - Toni, Klose

Official: Georg Schalk (Augsburg)
Attendance: 15,000
Scoring: Borowski (27th), Lahm (35th), Klose (54th)

Donovan Scores in Bayern Friendly Win

Bayern Munich won its second straight winter break friendly last night, beating Al-Wehda 3-1 in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Making his second appearance for the Bavarian juggernaut, American Landon Donovan came on as a second half replacement for Luca Toni at forward.

Goals by Frank Ribery and Tim Borowski in the first half had the visitors up 2-0 before Al-Wehda's Al-Kuwaikabi made a brilliant carry through the Bayern defense to slot home a 53rd minute goal to make it 2-1.

Both sides produced more scoring chances as Donovan had a few shots go wide in the 50th and 66th minutes. In the 59th minute, he made a dangerous header which glanced off the woodwork. It was not until injury time that Donovan sealed it for Bayern, collecting a high ball 16 meters out with his back to the goal, then quickly turning and firing a hard shot low and left past the keeper for his first goal in a Bayern jersey.

One bit of concern for Bayern was the apparent injury of Mark Van Bommel in last night as he limped off the field with a knee inujury. But, not long after the team landed in Munich this morning, it was confirmed that his injury is not serious and that he'll only miss 3-4 days of training.

Donovan and Bayern will now resume training in icy Bavaria in preparation for their German Cup match against Stuttgart on the 27th, followed by a match at Hamburger SV on the 30th.

Donovan Shows Well In Bayern Debut

American forward Landon Donovan made a strong showing in his debut for Bayern Munich, earning two assists in a friendly against the UAE's Al Jazeera tonight in Abu Dhabi.

On loan from MLS side LA Galaxy, Donovan started up top with Luca Toni and quickly had a few good scoring chances in the 2oth and 25th minutes but was unable to convert either.
The host side did not make it easy, scoring early with a fourth minute Fernando Baino goal to give Al Jazeera the lead 1-0. Donovan worked well on the right setting up Bastain Schweinsteiger for a score to make it 1-1. The home side attacked well again with a good shot from distance by captain Ebrahem Diake but Bayern went on the offensive again. This time, Donovan layed off a gorgeous ball to Christian Lell, who seeming surprised by the service, muffed it wide.

In the second half coach Jurgen Klinsmann replaced nine players but left Donovan on but now playing up top alongside Miroslav Klose. After Donovan was taken down hard 20 meters from goal, Daniel van Buyten converted the resulting free kick in the 47th minute to put Bayern on top 2-1. Yet, the nine new players did not seem to get into much of a rhythm and a poor Van Buyten backpass to keeper Joerg Butt went in for an own goal tying the game at 2:2. Finally Miroslav Klose secured the win for Bayern with an injury time goal to give them a 3-2 win.

After the match, a few German online fan forums also seemed positive on Donovan's performance with comments from Bayern supporters such as "...thank God Donovan is here and Podolski is gone" or "Hoeness sure knows how to find good players."

Donovan's next opportunity to play will be on Monday in a friendly against Al Weda in Saudi Arabia.

Podolski To Cologne: New Chance For Donovan?

Reports out of Germany this morning indicate that Bayern Munich is close to sending Lukas Podolski back to his old club, 1st FC Cologne. The five-million euro deal will open the fourth striker space on the Bayern lineup, a space which Donovan will be filling during his loan period.

This long-expected development could open a new opportunity for Donovan to stay in Munich longer, perhaps until the end of the Bundesliga season (if not longer). Bayern had their eyes on Stuttgart's Mario Gomez but then opted for Hamburg's Croat Ivica Olic who will arrive this summer.

Given the constantly clashing personalities at FC Hollywood, there always seems to be a top player asking to transfer out. So, if Donovan fits in and performs well during his loan spell, Bayern may need to make MLS an offer they'll have a hard time refusing.

Donovan is expected to make his debut in the Bayern jersey tomorrow in a friendly against Al Jazeera in Dubai, where the club is conducting its winter training.

In other news from the Bayern training camp, coach Juergen Klinsmann has quelled the rumors that French ace Franck Ribery may be moving by stating to DPA that "he will stay with the club until at least 2011."

Donovan's Situation At Bayern Looking Up?

We've all had our questions about how Landon Donovan will fit into the scheme at Bayern Munich when his loan starts in January and the picture may be getting clearer. As it turns out, an unfortunate injury to Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez, who tore a muscle in 2-0 win over Schalke last weekend (in which he scored), may end up impacting Donovan's playing time at Bayern.

The Munich giants have had their eye on Gomez for some time and the word in town was that the club would pick him up in January and simultaneously dish off Lukas Podolski to his old club, 1FC Koeln. Now, its not clear if Gomez will be in any kind of condition for a January transfer so the Donovan loan is looking more like a prudent move and less like an experiment. Depending on Gomez' condition, Bayern (not to mention Real Madrid), may now need to wait until the summer transfer window, soon after Donovan heads back to LA.

What this means for Donovan is that he'll more likely spend his loan period in the striker rotation behind Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose (who will likely need some rest during Champions League weeks). If Gomez had entered the mix, Donovan would have quickly found himself as the number four striker in the mix, provided he continued to outshine Lukas Podolski in practice. So, if Donovan shows up ready to play, he stands a good chance of getting some meaningful playing time. We'll see.

Bayern To Take Donovan On Loan

Bayern Munich has announced they will take the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan on loan until the middle of March. Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann told the Munich press that "Landon made a good impression in the last ten days and we've agreed a deal with MLS for a loan starting on January 1st until the middle of March." Klinsmann did add however that the club is interested in hanging onto the California born forward until the end of the season since they need a fourth striker to fit into the scheme with Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Lukas Podolski.

"For me its a perfect setup. I can go into the second half of the season with four strikers." said Klinsmann. He went on to say; "With Landon. I have another top man in my back pocket and he'll travel with is to out training camp in Dubai on January 2nd."

Despite taking Donovan on loan, it looks like Bayern will keep the unhappy Podolski, at least until the end of the season. Remarking on the decision, Klinsmann stated that Podolski will "need to deal with it."

According to Klinsmann, what sold Bayern on Donovan was his speed (which he called "unbelievable")and strength in one-on-one situations. In the coach's words "He is completely different from our other strikers so this will make our attack harder to deal with."

What do you think? Will Donovan get meaningful playing time, ride the pine, or become a breakout star? Have your say here by leaving a comment or vote in the poll (to the left of this article).

*Special thanks to Germany based Vagabond Keith Richardson for contributing to this report.

A Few Great Articles Worth Reading

Here are a few great articles worth reading today:

Bob Wagman's excellent preview of the USA-Guatemala World Cup Qualifier. Its hard to find many writers who have been covering the US National team (or even US soccer in general) for more years, both at home and on the road.

Rob Hughes, one of the best in the business, provides an insightful look into Bernd Schuster's lonely situation at Real Madrid.

Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger has a great piece on German media coverage of the Bundesliga and in particular, its impact on Bayern Munich.

And while your humble vagabond did not make the finals for the US Soccer Federation's Best Blog competition (a big thanks to those who did nominate us), be sure to support our friends Du Nord and Soccer By Ives by voting here.

Bradley Header Saves Point for 'Gladbach

Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach had a real challenge today in trying to claw out of the relegation zone facing powerhouse Bayern Munich. The visitors jumped on top early on a 21st minute Luca Toni goal for a 1:0 lead. A 45th minute Bradley header from a Marko Marin free kick, which could have tied the game for the Foals, just missed sending both teams to the locker room with Bayern up 1:0.

In the second half, Bradley managed to get off a quality shot during the 57th minute which was well stopped by Bayern keeper Michael Rensing. Four minutes later, Marin nearly got 'Gladbach on the board before Mark Van Bommel tracked back to deflect a shot from near the penalty spot.

In the 65th minute, Bayern's Franck Ribery was taken down in the area and awarded a penalty which the French midfielder lashed in for a 2:0 lead. For the next 12 minutes, the Foals looked out of gas but seemed to find their stride again in the 77th minute and took the ball to Bayern. A 78th minute corner from Marin was flicked on by Alex Baumjohann, then punched in by Rob Friend to put 'Gladbach on the board 2:1.

Not three minutes later Baumjohann send a gorgeous back-heel through to Roberto Colautti in the area where the Israeli international held well against Bayern defender Christian Lell before sending a soft crossing ball to an onrushing Bradley who headed it home to make it 2:2.

Bradley went the full 90 minutes and scored his first league goal of the season as he seems to be finding his stride under new coach Hans Meyer. This is good news for the Foals, who are now in 14th place on 11 points but still in a dogfight to get well clear of the relegation zone. They'll face their next challenge next week in Gelsenkirchen against FC Schalke 04.

After the game, Bradley told the local press: "The team worked well together to earn the point - we worked really hard. At the end, getting the tying goal was such a great feeling. Roberto fought hard and set it up perfectly. We never stopped running, working hard, and fighting for the ball for the whole 90 minutes. And it to play in the kind of great atmosphere we had today, that is why you play soccer."

Photo courtesy of Borussia.de

Check out Bradley's goal here:

Donovan in Munich: What Happens Next?

After a few days of training with Bayern Munich this week, the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan seems to have made a believer out of Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness who after watching him in practice told the Rheinischer Post "He can play."

But even though Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann was already sold on the 26 year-old American and Hoeness now appears to be a believer, its still not clear if a deal will be in the offing. The question is not whether Donovan can contribute to the team, its whether he is a better option than Zenith's Andrey Arshavin, Stuttgart's Mario Gomez, or Fiorientina's Adrian Mutu - all in the running to replace the soon-exiting Lukas Podolski.

The German press are calling a move for Donovan "risky" and are having a field day picking through his background with one (Rheinisher Post) even downplaying his recent 20 goal season by saying "...but the American soccer league is only at the level of third division football in Germany." But even Donovan had to offer his own blunt assessment of MLS when he told the Sueddeutsche Zeiting: "On each team, there are at most 3 players that could hold their own in the Bundesliga and Bayern would easily win the championship." He also told Spox.com that "All players in the Bundesliga are better than in the USA, from number one to number 22...many in the USA can't play proper soccer."

Another newspaper, Munich's TZ , asked the question with its headline "Are You Good Enough For Bayern Mr. Donovan?" A few even think he can be purchased from MLS for around five million euros ($7 million) which would make him a cheaper option than Arshavin, Gomez, or Mutu - provided he can deliver the goods. This kind of press may not make it easy to explain if FC Hollywood signs this player from the real Hollywood and would put Donovan under a microscope from the beginning if he is signed.

But neither Klinsmann nor Hoeness are the type to make their decisions based on press clippings and both have no issues taking risks, especially Klinsmann. A decision is expected by the time his "guest training" ends next week and it could even be a loan until March, something Donovan did not rule out in an interview with Spox.com. When asked yesterday by the press if he thought he was ready to play for Bayern, Donovan answered in clear German " Ich bin bereit." (I'm ready)

Donovan Training With Bayern Munich

Today at Bayern Munich's 3 PM practice, a new face showed up alongside coach Juergen Klinsmann, a face familiar to many American fans. Yep, that's right, the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan is in Munich to train with Bayern for a weeek or two to "stay fit." Hmmm.

Could Donovan, who last left Bayer Leverkusen in 2005 after playing in seven league and two Champion's League matches, be looking for for a ticket back to European soccer? Donovan's own web site seems to indicate so when he says “I am pleased that Jürgen Klinsmann and Bayern are giving me this chance to get to know their new performance center and stay fit alongside their great international footballers.”

Kicker speculates that Donovan could fit well into the formation behind Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, especially if Lukas Podolksi makes a possible mid-season move elsewhere. The question is not so much whether Klinsmann thinks Donovan is ready (by all accounts he does), but whether Donovan can prove his worth to club boss Uli Hoeness who must approve any deal (be it a loan or an outright purchase). My guess is that is exactly why Donovan is training in Munich this week.

Hoeness has made it clear that Podolski isn't going anywhere unless a suitable replacement is found. For many observers, that replacement appeared to be Zenith's Russian phenom Andrei Arshavin but if Donovan can prove he has the goods (and is available now), it may just be doable.

Stay tuned because if this is like any of Donovan's previous transfer sagas, it will get quite interesting.

Donovan Linked To Bayern? Doubtful

This week Andrea Canales got the US faithful abuzz with a nice article on a potential Landon Donovan return to Europe. Your faithful vagabond has been sniffing about this week checking on the possibility that Landon Donovan has attracted interest from Bundesliga power Bayern Munich. So far the results indicate that people have taken Andrea's speculation and twisted it into something it is not; a rumor. Even when quoted in her article Donovan caveats the idea with the key phrase; "...if there is interest."

While Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann is well aware of Donovan and his abilities, my spidey sense tells me its hard to see the club bringing him in as a 4th striker right now (unless someone gets injured). Even if Donovan came aboard, competing for playing time with Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, and Lukas Podolski (three of Europe's most storied attackers) seems like a bridge too far.

So, as the MLS season winds to a close and Donovan's MLS contract comes up for renewal, expect more rumors and innuendo with the occasional fact popping out every now and then. We'll do our best to help you tell which is which (and welcome your inputs as well).