Drogba Back to Marseille?

Can it be? Might Chelsea striker Didier Drogba be on his way back to former club Marseille?

According to the BBC, Marseille president Pape Diouf insists he will do everything possible to bring Didier Drogba back to the French club.

The Ivory Coast star joined Chelsea from Marseille in 2004 and spoke recently about the possibility of "finishing his adventure" with them.

Diouf admits Marseille cannot match the wages Drogba earns at Chelsea but thinks there could be ways around it.

"You can't exclude thinking of other scenarios, like the boy accepting a pay cut, efforts on our part," he said.

"We must talk to our supporters in adult language," Diouf told 10 Sport, a French sports magazine.

"They know we do what we say, and vice-versa. To say to them, 'We are going to win the Champions League' or 'Drogba is going to return', I will not allow myself to do it - that would be showing them a lack of respect. On the other hand, to say to them, 'Like you, I really want Drogba to come back and if there is a possibility of doing it, I will do it', that I can guarantee them. Each time I see him, I say to him, 'Now Didier, get your bags together and come back here!"'

Just last moth Marseille had dismissed talk of a move for Drogba, labeling him "inaccessible" at the moment.

MY POV: That could make for some drama, eh? But seriously, I can't see Drogba returning there just yet. Maybe after a move to Italy or Spain.

Chelsea Coach Speaks Out Against Cup of Nations

It's a common theme among big-name coaches in Europe:
Most are against the timing of the African Cup of Nations.

This is a good and bad thing.

Good in that it means more Africans are infiltrating the dressing rooms of top world football clubs like Barcelona and Chelsea.

Bad in that it's annoying to hear these coaches biting the hand that feeds them.

Africa has a right to stage their continental competition when they see fit. Although I strongly feel they shouldn't cave in to European demands simply because Old World powerhouses are calling for these changes, it's evident that changes need to be made. The Nations Cup scheduling is hurtful to the teams that pay big money to salary their African stars.

As more Africans play at world-class clubs and as more Africans proser at these clubs, the more their services are going to be missed and the angrier the clubs will get.

It's really a lose-lose situation in many ways.

Today, Chelsea coach Avram Grant became the latest to pop off on the African Cup of Nations timing.

Grant has called for the tournament to be played in June or July in the future as he faces the prospect of coping without striker Didier Drogba.

Ivory Coast captain Drogba is committed to playing for his country, which starts January 20th, although he has a knee injury and may require surgery.

Chelsea will decide in the next week whether an operation is required but already know Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien will be away for up to a month when they play in Ghana in the new year.

When Grant was asked if the tournament should be moved to suit the European soccer calendar in future, he was quite vocal.

"Of course, I think everybody wants it (a scheduling change) but it doesn't depend on me," he told a news conference at Chelsea's training ground.

"We need to think about this. When they started the African Nations Cup there were not so many players playing in Europe. Now the Africans have many players in the Premier League and in other leagues -- and in my opinion it will be even more in the next few years. So we need to think about this because it's not good for the players or the clubs. It would be better in the summer but I cannot change it, I can only say my opinion."

Drogba is 90 percent certain to miss this weekend's Premier League match at home to Sunderland according to Grant and the timing of his operation could have an impact on his availability for the African Nations Cup.

Grant said Drogba and the club had known about the problem for some months but the striker insisted on playing.

"He pushes to play even now but we must take care of the health of the player. We will see what is good for him. At the moment we will keep an eye on the situation then we will know what will happen," Grant said.

When asked if the player would require surgery, the manager said: "Maybe. We don't know yet, we will know better in the next days."

In other news, Samuel Eto'o is expected to play his first minutes since September with Barcelona this weekend. He's been recuperating from a leg injury. Good luck to you, Sammy. Stay fit.

Drogba Speaks

Didier Drogba hasn't shied away from his plans to leave Chelsea. But in an article published in France Footballmagazine today, Drogba stated he'll stay until next summer because "it would be a little cowardly to leave at a time when the boat is rocking".

He does say that his original intention after Jose Mourinho's departure was to leave the club as soon as possible and that he planned to not play against Valencia last month so that he would be eligible to play in the Champions League for another team later in the season. After reflection, Drogba eventually declared himself available for that game and now says he is determined to stay at Chelsea until June.

"When you're disappointed you sometimes take stances that you haven't thought about properly," he explained. "That was my way of showing how angry I was. But I wouldn't have been able to look my team-mates in the eye afterwards. I am someone who has always campaigned for solidarity, so I've decided to stay until next summer."

Drogba is signed until 2010. But he said, "Experience shows that there's no point holding on to a player against his wishes. I hope we'll be able to find a tidy way of leaving Chelsea."

Drogba also revealed that he has been taking Spanish and Italian lessons for "a little while" and would love the opportunity to play for one of the giants of Serie A or La Liga. "I want to get back to playing with butterflies in my stomach for a club who make me dream," he said. "For me, there aren't 50 clubs who could stimulate this sort of passion, just four: AC Milan, Inter, Barça and Real."

Aware that Chelsea fans may accuse him of disloyalty or money-grabbing, Drogba said: "Since my first day at Chelsea, I've always thought collectively. I don't think anyone can complain if I decide to think a little about myself towards the end."

"All I know is that the decision has done a lot of damage to the team," he continued, seriously. "There are many casualties in the dressing room because now we know what happened and whose fault it is that Jose Mourinho is gone. In the days after his departure, I had trouble looking at certain people without feeling angry."

"Some things that were done and said did not conform to the mentality of a squad that until that point had always been tight and had shown solidarity for each other. I understand that some people might not have wanted the coach to stay and hoped that his successor might give them more games, but what happened went beyond that. It went far too far. Maybe it would be an exaggeration to talk about treachery but certainly some people were very disappointing. I understand why the coach, despite being very attached to most of the players, announced as he was going, 'I am very happy to be leaving here.'"

Drogba described the atmosphere in the dressing room after Mourinho's departure. "There were fireworks ... Things went a little haywire and there was quite a rumpus within the group. Several players weren't far off professional misconduct, ignoring basic principles. Fortunately all that didn't last too long."

He refused to elaborate further and denied that there were now warring factions within the dressing room. Asked whether Andriy Shevchenko and John Terry had played any role in Mourinho's departure, he replied - sarcastically, according to France Football - "No, I don't want to believe that ... if that was the case, it would be really shocking."

He made little effort, however, to disguise his displeasure with Roman Abramovich's role in Mourinho's departure. "Everything was halted at the whim of the president," he said. "We are mere employees. I don't hide the fact that I took the whole episode very badly."

"When you stick with a manager through the summer, you have to at least give him until December unless some catastrophe takes place. But apparently president Abramovich has changed philosophy. We feel that the shared story was ended too quickly. We're left with a feeling of incompleteness, and impotence.

Despite all that, Drogba maintains that he is determined to do his best for Chelsea until he leaves. "I think Henk ten Cate will do us good. We're not out of the title race and were still on track in the Champions League. I believe we can succeed. We wouldn't be the first team to pull off a great season after encountering some problems along the way. We've all developed such a hunger for victory that I can't see us settling for second place. We've got what it takes to surprise some people. The trauma is behind us now."

Very elaborating interview. Drogba remains a man who vents his frustration when need be. The marriage between the Ivorian superstar and the money-riddled club looks to be over. What will be the course for the rest of the season?

Drogba Wants to Leave Chelsea

I've been away from the screen for the past few days, due to various reasons.

In the meantime, African football has been providing fans with saucy plotlines to follow.

First comes attacks on Mali players that followed the 2-0 away win over Togo in their decisive African Cup of Nations qualifier in Lome, Togo on Friday. The BBC reports that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is looking into the incidents. Today, the CAF said they will order an indefinite ban on Togo's Kegue stadium following attacks on Mali players after a key African Nations Cup qualifier last Friday. Further disciplinary action is to follow.

Then, FC Barcelona have asked their African stars to skip January's African Cup of Nations. Let's hope this request is emphatically turned down.

Next, the Confederation of African Football released their seedings for January's Cup of Nations in Ghana. The draw takes place tomorrow (come back and check out our analysis of the groups for the tournament). Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Ghana head the list of the 16 countries that have qualified for the African trophy.

But today's news is probably the biggest shocker, coming from Africa's best player.

Current African Footballer of the Year and Chelsea FC starlet Didier Drogba told a journalist he wants out from Chelsea.

"I want to leave Chelsea. Something is broken with the club," Drogba was quoted as telling France Football magazine due to be published on Friday.

However, the west London club were quick to dismiss the idea of a possible transfer.
"Didier Drogba signed a new four-year contract last year. As a top professional we are sure Didier is committed to Chelsea and intends to honour that contract," the club said on their Web site (www.chelseafc.com).

Drogba was one of the players most affected by Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho's departure last month.

The coach, who led Chelsea to back-to-back league titles in 2005 and 2006, along with two League Cups and the FA Cup, has been replaced by Israel's Avram Grant.

"I can't hide the fact that I've taken this whole business very badly, probably because I made the mistake of allowing too much of an emotional attachment in my relations with the coach," Drogba said.

"I can only say that I have been unpleasantly surprised by some people."

He added: "Ever since I arrived, I've been mulling a lot of things over, because I hadn't chosen my destination. My relations with Chelsea have always been bizarre."

"Right from the very first day, I wanted to leave. And every summer after that. But, despite that, I've stayed here for four seasons -- the best of my career."

Drogba, whose last comment indicated he would stay until the end of this season, added he would like to play either in Italy's Serie A or Spain's La Liga.

"I've got the impression that I have nothing else to prove here. I need to go and look somewhere else. I need new challenges and these two countries really attract me."

"I have made my decision. Nothing will hold me here. I know people are saying that Ronaldinho and Kaka will be here next season but it will not change my desire (to leave). I will not change my mind, probably because something has broken (in my relations) with Chelsea."

Drogba added that only five clubs attracted him: "AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid. And Marseille."

Mourinho spent 24 million pounds ($49.06 million) when he bought Drogba from Marseille in July 2004.

The striker took a while to settle before finding his form with a vengeance last season, scoring 33 goals for Chelsea, the most in the English Premiership.

Where will Drogba land? Will he change his mind? How will the Chelsea faithful react to the Ivorian's strong words? Will Chelsea management attempt to wash their hands of Drogba and sell him during the winter transfer period, when he's set to miss time due to the African Nations Cup?

All intriguing questions ...

Drogba Won't Leave & International Friendlies

Didier Drogba is a favorite of this blog.
I started off not liking the Ivorian international, but anyone who has read the blog knows his humanitarian side and skillful play won me over.

Now comes word that on the heels of Jose Mourinho leaving Drogba's club team Chelsea, the leading scorer of last season's English Premier League won't be looking to leave.

"I am not considering quitting Chelsea, I have a contract which I will follow through. I feel other players will feel the same way too," Drogba explained.

"I will decide on my next step of action when the time is right and I get an offer.

"As footballers we obey our contract and concentrate on building our career. We'll miss Mourinho though."

Not the highest endorsement, I know. But as least this will cool Chelsea fans' heads some, who thought the Mourinho supporters would look to jump ship with the captain.
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Some international friendles involving our friends from Africa to announce.

First up, Mexico will host Nigeria at the Estadio Olympico Benito Juarez in Ciudad de Juarez on October 14th.

It will be the Super Eagles’ first trip to the central American country since the 1968 Olympics, when African countries participated at the games with full international sides.

Nigeria play Mexico for the third time, having drawn 1-1 at the Inter Continental Championship in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and again a few months later when Mexico won 2-1 in Dallas during the US Cup.
Should be fun.

Next up, my home country the United States flies to South Africa for a first-ever trip to the World Cup host nation for a friendly in November. Now this sounds tasty!

The match, the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup, will be played at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on November 17th.

The game will be played just eight days ahead of the preliminary draw for the 2010 World Cup.

"It's a great honor to be invited to participate," US coach Bob Bradley said.

"South Africa has always had a talented team and the match represents an excellent opportunity for our players to travel and play in South Africa."

The Americans defeated South Africa 4-0 at Washington in 2000 in their only prior meeting.

It will be only the third match in Africa for the Americans, who lost 3-1 at Morocco in 1992 and 2-1 at Morocco in 1999 exactly eight years to the day before the scheduled South Africa match.

Essien Given Passing Lessons

File this under old news, as it's been reported everywhere.
But also, file this under strange news, because things like this should not be happening.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich gave Ghana's Michael Essien tactical instructions at the end of their 1-1 draw with Rosenborg last week, it has been revealed.

The Observer says employing striker Andriy Shevchenko as translator, the Chelsea owner instructed midfielder Essien, player of the year last season, to hit passes wide rather than through central areas where the Norwegians had compressed play.

Abramovich is expected to take an increasingly hands-on role in the team following the appointment of Avram Grant to replace Jose Mourinho and, according to several sources, will effectively select the side.

But Grant says he is in charge of the team and will pick his squad.

This is oh-so-bad for Essien, Drogba and the rest of the talented squad at Chelsea.

Love him or hate him, Mourinho was a technical genius. He also appreciated the African players, often noting their contributions to the squad.

Now, with Grant in charge (or is it Abramovich?), what will become of the team? How will they handle adversity during the season now that no one is there to deflect attention away from them when something goes array (see yesterday's match with Manchester United, for example)? What will they do with the African contingent that is leaving for the Cup of Nations come January?

A meddling owner is never a recipe for success. Grant would do well to shut the locker room door to the nosy owner. But will he have the nerve to do such a thing?

I believe Chelsea will rue the day they let a man of quality like Jose Mourinho go.

Cup of Nations Row

This, another in our long line of commentaries about the African Cup of Nations and its scheduling issues.

I don't have a proper grouping of articles, but please click the link on the right to see more articles pertaining to the continental tournament.

Today, Ghana coach Claude Le Roy insisted that all his European-based players are expected to join his African Cup of Nations squad on time.

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, who could lose five key players during the tournament, has already said he wants to discuss a deal to hold onto his players until just before the tournament.

However Le Roy is adamant that all his players report for training two weeks prior to the event, as stipulated in FIFA regulations.

"You cannot prepare for the Premier League two days before it starts, they prepare six weeks before," the Frenchman pointed out.

"The players have to be here (in Accra) fourteen days before the competition; that means that all my players must be in camp by 6 January 2008 and there is no compromise at all on that.

"They can offer billions of dollars but the only thing that is important is the Black Stars."

The Black Stars coach also says European clubs and African players must get used to the fact that the dates of the African Cup of Nations finals will not change.

European clubs and some of Africa's big name players have criticised the fact that the Nations Cup finals are played in the middle of the European season.

OK. But what will the European clubs do? They pay these stars huge wages. What row will this cause with the national teams?

Black Stars' midfielder Michael Essien is the latest to ask for a rethink of the January to February scheduling of the event.

The more stars come out in favor of this, the more pressure it will heap on the African organizers to change the event's dates.

Le Roy added, "We shouldn't be worrying about what happens in London or Paris, what is important is what happens in Cairo or in Accra or in Lagos," he said.

"If it's possible to find a good date that everybody would be happy with then we must consider that, but at the moment the priority now is the Cup of Nations and the clubs must understand that."

And the debate goes on ...

Essiens Calls for Cup of Nations Change

Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has called for a rethink on the timing of the African Cup of Nations.

Chelsea are poised to lose Essien, Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou for up to a month during next January's tournament in Ghana.

Essien thinks that switching the tourney to the end of the European season would have the support of players.

"If they can change it would be good for us players and it would be good the clubs too," said Essien.

"You have to leave in January, which is a difficult month for the club, but you have to go and help your country. If they can change it would be good for us."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has planned for the loss of his African players as the Blues look to win the English title back from Manchester United.

Mourinho has signed Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizarro and Steve Sidwell over the summer transfer period.

"I think the new players here are really very good, they fit in really well," added Essien.

"I think we have good players to fit in whilst we are away, so I don't think it will be a problem. I hope not."