Player of the Week Maximiliano Aquino · Do great in school so I can become a professional soccer player ... tenham spied on officials during the club’s failed bid to take over

Name: Maximiliano AquinoPlace of Birth: Chicago ILNationality: GuatemalanSchool: Jefferson SchoolFavorite Subject: ReadingHobbies: SoccerFavorire Food: PizzaFavorite Movie: Kung Fu Panda 2Favorite Color: BlueFavorite Actress: Selena GomezFavorite Music: Shakira - Waka WakaPerson you admire most? Why?: Mom and Dad because they spoil meWhat would you do to make your parents proud?: Do great in school so I can become a professional soccer playerFavorite soccer player: Messi and Fabregas because they are team playersIf you get a chance to meet your idol, what would you ask them?: Can I drive your Ferrari?Plans for the future: Become a professional soccer player

A third person has been arrested by police investigating allegations that people acting for Premier League soccer club Tot-tenham spied on officials during the club’s failed bid to take over London’s Olympic Stadium after the Games.Tottenham has been accused of ordering surveillance on the London Olympic executives who eventually chose the bid of rival London club West Ham to take over the stadium.Since August, London police have been investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the bidding process that were made by West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company, whose board members decide the future of venues on the site of the Games.Two people were arrested in November in connection with the illegal procurement of information and now police say they

detained a 57-year-old man in Cheshire on Wednesday “on suspicion of fraud offenses” before releasing him on bail until February.He is Howard Hill, a former partner at accountancy firm PKF that a judge said last year “was engaged by Tottenham Hotspur to carry out an investigation that was in some way connected with the Olympic Stadium.”PKF was not available for comment late Friday, but there was no reference to Hill on its website. The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which broke news of Hill’s arrest on Friday night, cited a PKF statement as saying: “Howard Hill resigned from the firm on Dec 15 and we have not had any communication with him since.”West Ham’s deal to take over the stadium collapsed in October and the $744 million venue has been left without any tenant after the Olympics, pending a new search.Separate to the ongoing police investigation, West Ham is taking legal action in an attempt to discover details of the “wrongdoers responsible” for the alleged obtaining of phone records. A judge said at a hearing in November that the telephone records of West Ham vice chairman Kar-ren Brady were “unlawfully obtained by subterfuge” during the bidding process.The High Court heard that PKF, which denies being engaged in any unlawful activity, said it had copies of wrongfully obtained telephone records.

OPLC company chair Margaret Ford made the allegations about Tottenham in a London Assembly committee hearing in November.Tottenham denies any allegations of spying or the illegal obtaining of information, previously stressing that it “did not instruct PKF to engage in any unlawful activity and PKF have confirmed that they did not.”

Chicago, IL JANUARY 2012www.chicagosoccer.net www.chicagosoccer.netJANUARY 2012 Chicago, IL

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Player of the WeekMaximiliano Aquino

Third man arrested in spying case

Since the advent of professional soccer, the game has grown into one of the most lu-crative enterprises on Earth, though those following Mexican soccer in recent weeks will know that while money has enabled soccer to become the global powerhouse it is today, the game’s global exposure and financial viability have their dark sides. Indeed, the connections and money available in the soccer world have attracted some unsavory characters to the game, and the arrest of Mexican goalkeeper Omar Ortiz is just the latest chapter chronicling this sordid partnership.

On Jan. 6, it was reported that Ortiz had been kidnapped. Soon after though, a more accurate version of events transpired, and it was revealed that the 35-year-old – cur-rently serving a two-year suspension for a positive steroid test – had been arrested by Mexican police as part of a group of criminals implicated in the kidnappings of over 20 people.

Most strikingly, Ortiz’s arrest and the subsequent confession tying him to the power-ful Gulf Cartel reminds us that the specter of Mexico’s controversial and extremely costly drug war is not far from the game.

Attracted by the connections the former Monterrey and Jaguares player had devel-oped during well over a decade in professional soccer and the knowledge of his drug addiction and financial problems following his two-year suspension following a positive steroid test, the Gulf Cartel found an easy pawn in Monterrey, a city which has gotten increasingly caught up in the drug war over the past year.

Make no mistake though, Ortiz’s arrest is not simply the unfortunate result of a player falling prey to the trappings of fame that a successful soccer career can bring. Though Ortiz cannot be absolved of the blame if he is convicted – he cer-tainly was conscious of his actions – throughout the game’s history soccer, and more importantly the money it involves, attract people who would seek to exploit those involved in the sport for their own gain. Furthermore, Ortiz’s case is not the first incident of the seedier elements of society intersecting with the Mexican game. Most tangibly, in August 2011, shots rang out outside Estadio Corona in the northern city of Torreon during a match between Santos Laguna and Morelia, sending the players running for the locker rooms and forcing the match to be sus-pended. The shooters were reportedly targeting the local police chief in a city that has been beset by gang violence in the recent past.

This is not to single out Mexico, rather it is just the most current issue in the history of a long relationship between soccer and organized crime. The potential of soccer both as a moneymaking and money-laundering vehicle is vast. Colombia’s drug war in the 1980s and 1990s and its intimate connection with the world of Colombian soccer have been well docu-mented.

In addition to his vast criminal empire, Pablo Escobar bankrolled his hometown team, Atletico Nacional, during its most successful era. Other drug kingpins across Colombia propped up their own teams, creating a lucrative, but often violent atmosphere in Colombian soccer that saw the murder of referees and others involved in the game and ultimately helped bring down the Colombian national team at the pinnacle of its success in the early 1990s. In Italy, the Camorra, Naples’ principal mafia organization allegedly developed a similar connection with the successful Napoli sides of the same period and even today have been linked to a spate of crimes targeting Napoli’s top players as both organizations look to revive their fortunes.

While there is not quite a ‘Pablo Escobar’ figure or organization like the Camorra working in Mexican soccer, one (for-mer) Mexican team owner, recently arrived on the Mexican soccer scene, has raised suspicion.

Police raided Club Tijuana owner Jorge Hank Rhon’s residence in the days following his team’s promotion to the Primera Division and recovered an arsenal of weapons, including a pair of weapons linked to homicides in the Baja California state. While this could have undone Tijuana’s newly-achieved promotion, the team quickly moved to clarify that Hank Rhon’s son, Jorge Alberto Hank, had taken over the team from his father, though it remained unclear how much the se-nior Hank remains involved in the team.

Additonally, Hank Rhon’s gambling empire has aroused the suspicion of the U.S. government as a possible front for money laundering, while a cable from the U.S. consul in Tijuana to the State Department in 2009 said the grounds of the businessman’s Agua Caliente racetrack, where Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente is located, were still “secure havens for orga-nized crime on the border.”

While these incidents certainly raise suspicions of Hank Rhon’s connection to organized crime, charges have not been leveled against him to date. Still, these incidents, not to mention his sometimes murky political and business dealings serve as another reminder that the lucrative world of soccer is never too far from the other facets of public life.

Both soccer and political authorities would do well to keep a close eye on the cases of Ortiz and Hank Rhon and to learn the lessons of Colombia over 15 years earlier, not only to ensure the health of the game in Mexico and across the globe, but to ensure a more peaceful future for all people, soccer fans or not.


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Omar Ortiz arrest sheds light onthe criminal attraction to soccer

The United States could face the Mexican national team in Azteca on Aug. 12, though the two federations are still in discussions over the potential match. Following a scrimmage against the U.S. U23 side, which the full national team won 4-0, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsman fielded a question about the upcoming calendar year and accidentally included a potential friendly against El Tri in his answer. However, USSF spokesman Neil Buethe quickly pointed out that details for that match, still several months away, are far from finalized. “[Klinsmann] may have – for lack of a better word – slipped a little bit in terms of what he mentioned there,” Buethe told Goal.com. “It’s probably fair enough to say there have been discussions in the past about a game against Mexico but we have no contract signed and there’s no confir-mation of that game happening.” Klinsmann’s first game in charge of the USA came against Mexico on Aug. 10, 2011. A late Robbie Rogers goal salvaged a 1-1 draw in Philadelphia. The United States has never beaten El Tri on Mexican soil, and Azteca, with its capacity of 104,000, has come to epito-mize that home dominance. Buethe indicated that the USSF is in the middle of a process of whittling down a list of 10-15 possible opponents for Aug. 12, which is the Saturday before FIFA’s official international date of Aug. 15 and one day following the Olympics final for men’s soccer. Even if the proposed Mexico friendly doesn’t pan out, the USA will still use the slot for a friendly. “We’ll definitely play a game on the 12th,” Buethe said. “The question is just who we are playing and where we’re play-ing.”

Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez will miss three games because of a muscle injury in his left leg.The Spanish champions say Pedro was injured during Thursday’s 2-1 Copa del Rey victory at Osasuna.Pedro will miss league matches against Real Betis and Malaga, plus the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals against Real Madrid on Wednesday.The Spain international has scored six goals in 19 appearances in all competitions this season.

France will host Germany in a friendly match next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty.The French football federation says the match will be played on Feb. 6, 2013, without saying where it will be held.On Jan. 22, 1963, French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed the treaty to mark a lasting reconciliation between the countries.France will play a friendly against Germany in Bremen next month.

West Ham has signed American defender George John on a two-month loan from FC Dallas.The second-tier London club says it has brought John to Upton Park “with a view to a perma-nent signing.’’John says on West Ham’s website that he wants to “understand about English football and just adapt my game.’’John hasn’t played a competitive match since Oct. 26, saying it could “take two or three weeks to give me some time to develop and get back in the swing of things.’’

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USSF in preliminary discussions over August friendly with Mexico in Azteca

Injured Barcelona forwardPedro sidelined 10 days

France to host Germany in friendly in 2013

West Ham signs US defender George John

Monterrey’s Chilean star Humberto Suazo has admitted that his days at the Mexican club are numbered, after being banished from the first team following a preseason full of controversy and transfer speculation. The Rayados reacted angrily to ‘Chupete’s’ insistence that he wanted to leave after four years with the team, as well as his late arrival for preseason training. The 30-year-old has been relegated to training with the Under-20s, and was informed that he would not be included in the team’s official photo for the 2012 Clausura campaign.

AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato turned down a move to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, according to PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The day after the Brazilian made an official statement pledging his future to Milan, An-celotti said Friday that there is no hope of persuading Pato to change his mind.“It was Pato’s decision to stay there, we have to respect that decision,’’ Ancelotti said. “We have to look forward now. I don’t think it can be reopened. It’s finished.’’Despite missing out on Pato and on signing former England captain David Beckham, PSG has already spent close to ?90 million ($116 million) on players this season.Ancelotti expects more signings before the end of the month as PSG bids to win the league title for the first time since 1994, and to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in eight years.“We want to bring great players to PSG, and the transfer window is still open for a long time,’’ Ancelotti said.Ancelotti takes charge of his first league game at home to Toulouse on Saturday when the French league resumes after its winter break.

Ancelotti’s first game as PSG coach was a scrappy 2-1 win against amateur side Loc-mine in the French Cup last weekend.

Three Bundesliga clubs have been fined after their fans lit firecrackers and smoke bombs during separate league and German Cup games this season.The German football federation said Thursday that Hertha Berlin had been fined ?12,000 ($15,300) after its fans set off smoke bombs during the Bundesliga game at Borussia Dortmund, fireworks in the cup match at Rot-Weiss Essen and fireworks at a league game in Kaiserslautern.Cologne was fined ?15,000 ($19,100) after supporters lit fireworks during league games in Dortmund and Stuttgart and the German Cup game at Hoffenheim.Hamburger SV fans set off fireworks in the league game at Hannover and smoke bombs at Mainz, costing their side a ?9,000 ($11,500) fine.All three clubs agreed to pay.

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“My relationship with Monterreyis damaged beyond repair”

PSG coach Ancelotti says Pato turned down move

3 German clubs fined for fans lighting fireworks

Freddy Adu expressed his desire to return to Europe to play in a top-five league in a recent interview and, according to sources in the Union, his wish might come true.

The sources said that there is a possibility that the Adu could join Rayo Vallecano on a short-term loan. The 22-year-old midfielder has been training with the La Liga side.

However, Adu’s agent Richard Motzkin denies that Rayo has expressed an interest to loan his client, saying, “Not accurate.”---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ream, who has two years left on his Red Bulls contract, spent time training with Bolton Wan-derers and has been the Premier League club’s top transfer target this month.

Ream’s agent said that a deal has not been reached despite recent reports that he is already on the move.

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Beckham’s five-year deal with the LA Galaxy has expired and it now seems likely he will re-sign with the team.

PSG appeared the destination for the star but team president Nasser Al Khelaifi has officially called off talks.

When first reported that Beckham would remain in LA. Sources said earlier this year that Beckham wanted to continue to raise his four children in LA no matter where he played in 2012.

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Drogba’s contract at Stamford Bridge ends at the end of this season and the striker has been linked to a move to MLS for quite some time now.

But Drogba’s price tag may be too high for the Galaxy, especially since the team expects Beck-ham to return for a sixth season.

It has been reported that Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua has now shifted its focus to Drogba after signing Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka to a deal worth over an estimated $12 million per year.

There is also always the chance he could extend his stay at Chelsea, according to coach Andre Villas-Boas.

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The Bayer Leverkusen’s midfielder’s contract ends in June and his agent, Michael Becker, has confirmed that the 35-year-old is open to the possibility of playing in MLS.

Ballack has already had inquiries from Asia and the Middle East. And teams from England have also showed interest, but his representative hinted Ballack would not likely return to Premier League.

Bayer Leverkusen chief executive Wolfgang Holzhauser has called for a tribute for the former Germany captain when he leaves the team.

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Dempsey said that Arsenal was interested in signing him at the end of the summer window, but the club decided to go in a different direction.

With Fulham struggling this season, Dempsey could finally be on his way out. Sources have said that he would like to play with a Champions League team.

In what would come as a major surprise, Dempsey could also consider a move back to MLS within the next two years.

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TRANSFER RUMORS

Brek Shea spent time training with Arsenal over Major League Soccer’s winter break, but that’s about the closest he will get to playing on Arsene Wenger’s side anytime soon. Wenger is very close to U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann and brought Shea in as a favor to his former player.

However, Shea will receive interest from several European squads as he has become America’s hottest young star. The only thing holding him back is a four-year contract he signed with FC Dal-las last May, and a high transfer fee the league would demand.

While Shea says he could see himself playing in Europe, his agent, Patrick McCabe, said that the U.S. international will be back in Dallas next season.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a rough season with the New York Red Bulls that saw Rafa Marquez rip his teammates and get suspended for throwing a punch in the playoffs, the defender’s time in MLS could be over.

While there is sure to be worldwide interest for the aging former star, one possible destination is Brazil. A Brazilian news outlet is reporting that Flamengo is currently negotiating a deal to bring Marquez to South America.

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TRANSFER RUMORS CONTINUED

Former Mexico coach Javier Aguirre indiscussions with

Saudi Arabian champion Al Hilal

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Recently axed Real Zaragoza coach Javier Aguirre is in negotiations with Saudi Arabian gi-ant Al Hilal.

The 13-time Saudi Arabian champion is currently top of the Pro League, however there is a general dissatisfaction with the technical level of the team coached by Ger-man Thomas Doll.

Al Hilal chairman Abdulrahman bin Musa’ad told reporters this week that he would cancel Doll’s contract if he could find a suitable

replacement for him.

Aguirre hasn’t traveled to Saudi Arabia for negotiations with the club. However, it is understood Al Hilal opened discussions and is waiting on the former Mexico boss’ response.

The 53-year-old Mexican was sacked by Zaragoza in late December with the club languishing down the Spanish Liga table. Aguirre has previously coached the Mexico national team along with Spanish clubs Atletico Madrid, Osasuna and Zaragoza.

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has insisted he is still enjoying his time in the Premier League despite a tougher second season at Old Trafford.Chicharito has struggled for fitness this term, being ruled out earlier in the season with various injuries including an ankle strain, and he has therefore struggled to rediscover his goal-scoring form of last season. The Mexican scored 20 goals in his debut season in English soccer last term, but insists he is not worried about having netted just six times this campaign.Speaking to MUTV, Hernandez said: “There are different circumstances because I have had more injuries this season than last year, but I am still enjoying it.

“I am still learning and working hard, trying to improve day by day.” The forward believes every season at United will become more difficult as rival defenders and managers learn how to deal with

his style of play.“I think each year it is going to be more difficult,” he continued. “In the first season, not only the

defenders but also the coaches didn’t know me.“I think now, and in the third and fourth seasons, they are going to know me even more. But good players like Wayne [Rooney], [Robin] Van Persie and [Didier] Drogba have been here

five, six years or more and still play at the same high level. I need to keep working to do the same.”

Not only have injuries affected his playing time this season, but the form of Danny Welbeck and the resurgence of Dimitar Berbatov have seen the striker struggle to hold down a regular starting

place.He added: “Everyone knows Berbatov is a brilliant player. His touch and technique are unbelievable. Then you have Wazza [Wayne Rooney], who is a world-class player, and Danny Welbeck, who is doing very well this season.“Kiko [Macheda] has gone out on loan but is another good striker, as is Mame [Diouf]. We are very strong in that depart-ment and in the other positions too.”

Nigeria has postponed a friendly international against Liberia after a nationwide strike this week paralyzed Africa’s most popu-lous nation.With demonstrations and related violence in Nigeria over fuel sub-sidies, football federation general secretary Musa Amadu said both

countries had agreed to put back Sunday’s game in the Liberian capi-

tal of Monrovia to the end of January.Amadu didn’t refer to the strike action

directly, cit-ing “certain

circumstances’’ as the reason why the Super Eagles didn’t travel.He said in Friday’s statement that the game would be delayed by two weeks, “after which circumstances that have necessi-tated the shift would surely have normalized.’’Nigeria didn’t qualify for this month’s African Cup of Nations.

CONCACAF has announced changes to the format of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Beginning with the 2012-13 tourna-ment, the preliminary round will be eliminated and all 24 participating teams will enter the competition in the group stage. There will be eight groups of three teams, with the group winners advancing to the quarterfi-nals.

From the quarterfinal stage on, the format will remain unchanged with quarterfinal, semifinal and final series being played in a two-leg, home-and-home system.

In the previous four tourna-ments, 16 teams met in eight preliminary round pairings with the series winners join-ing eight-seeded teams in the group stage.

“This new format will stream-line the first phase of the com-petition,” said Ted Howard, CONCACAF’s acting general secretary. “It will alleviate schedule congestion on both domestic and international calendars.”

The 2011-12 Champions League resumes on March 6 with the start of quarterfinal play.

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Nigeria postpones friendly with Liberia

Manchester United striker Chicharito

enjoying time at Old Trafford despite difficult

second season

CONCACAF announces changes toChampions League format

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Avram Grant takes over as Partizan Belgrade coach

Marc Crosas signs for Mexican sideSantos Laguna from Volga

Partizan Belgrade appointed former Chelsea manager Avram Grant as its new coach on Friday, hoping he could lead the defending Serbian champions to the Champions League next season.Partizan did not specify the terms of the deal, saying on its web site that the Israeli coach will be paid “in line with the club’s realistic limits.’’Local media reported that Grant will receive ?900,000 ($1.1 million) for a one-year deal, plus a ?400,000 ($500,000) bonus if the team qualifies for the Champions League.“The managing board is convinced that with Avram Grant in charge, the club will achieve what its army of fans expects him to do,’’ Partizan said.Grant, who led Chelsea to its only Champions League final, was fired from relegated West Ham last May. He previously led relegation-bound Portsmouth to the FA Cup final.Partizan said that coach Aleksandar Stanojevic, who led the team to the Serbian league title last season, was fired following his clash with the club management that was triggered by the team’s failure to reach the Champions League this season.“The breach of his contract and the clash with the board was such that his further stay at Partizan was no longer pos-sible,’’ the club said in the statement.At the midseason break, Partizan leads the Serbian league standings, 10 points ahead of Belgrade rival Red Star.

Former Barcelona and Celtic midfielder Marc Crosas has signed for Mexican side San-tos Laguna for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old Spaniard had moved from the Scottish giants to Russian outfit Volga in February 2011, but has now swapped eastern Europe for North America, signing a three-year contract. The Estadio Corona Torreon team is official partners with Celtic, and Crosas has be-came the first player to ply his trade with both clubs. The news was revealed on Twitter by the Mexian side’s chairman, Alejandro Irarra-gorri. The move means that the midfielder will now have played in five different leagues in his short career, with the Sant Feliu de Guixols-born midfielder having represented Barcelona, Celtic, Lyon, Volga and now Benjamin Galindo’s men.

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Miljan Miljanic, a Serb who once coach Real Madrid, Yugoslavia and Red Star Belgrade, died Friday. He was 81.His death was confirmed by the Serbian soc-cer federation. Belgrade media said he died after a long battle with cancer.Miljanic, known for his defensive tactics and reliance on experienced players, took the Yugoslav national team to the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.He won four league titles and three cups with Red Star between 1966 and 1974 during the glory days of Yugoslav soccer. He then captured back-to-back Spanish titles and a Copa del Rey trophy with Real Madrid between 1974 and 1977. Miljanic later coached at Valencia but was fired after poor results during the 1982-83 season.

Espanyol says it has reached an agreement with goal-keeper Carlos Kameni to break his contract, leaving the Cameroon international free to sign with Malaga.The 27-year-old Kameni played seven and a half sea-sons for Espanyol, but did not make a single appear-ance this season as Argentine keeper Cristian Alvarez took his starting job.He allowed 291 goals in 222 Spanish league games, and helped the team win the 2006 Copa del Rey.

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FIFA has cut another tie to disgraced former Vice President Jack Warner, ending his son’s job as a Caribbean development officer.FIFA says in a statement that Daryll Warner is not on its staff but did not elaborate, citing “employment confidentiality.’’ His father re-signed last June to avoid investigation for alleged election bribery.FIFA’s website shows that it doesn’t have a Caribbean development office. Daryll Warner formerly worked from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. A FIFA-appointed emergency committee is managing Caribbean soccer.FIFA’s 12 development officers worldwide are responsible for “identifying and implementing future projects’’ in their regions.

A Winnipeg soccer player has been sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay $1,500 in medical costs to a goalie he as-saulted during a game.Greg Adamiec, 25, was convicted of as-sault causing bodily harm for the July 2009 incident.

Scott Keast, 34, was kicked and stomped in the head by Adamiec during the Manitoba Major Soccer League match.Keast had jumped on a loose ball that Adamiec was pursuing on a potential breakaway.Witnesses say Adamiec became irate when Keast wrapped his hands around both the ball and his leg while making the save.

Winnipeg player convicted of assaulting goalie

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FIFA cuts Jack Warner’s son from development staff

Former Real Madridcoach Miljan Miljanic dies

Espanyol says goalkeeper Kameni to sign for Malaga

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SHOEOF THEWEEK

Suspended Jones join to US training camp

Suspended Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones is joining the U.S. training camp ahead of exhibition games against Venezuela and Panama.

Jones was suspended for eight weeks on Jan. 5 by Germany’s soccer federation, which concluded

he intentionally stepped on an opponent’s foot. He cannot appear in any competitive

or exhibition matches for Schalke until March 1.

Jones, who has made 14 appearances for the U.S., is to join the American

training camp Saturday at Carson, Calif.

“Obviously this is a very dif-ficult moment for Jermaine,’’

American coach Jurgen Klinsmann said Friday. “He regrets the incident and has

apologized to the player, his coaches and his teammates. He respects the decision of the

German federation and accepts the punish-ment.’’

The U.S., mostly with players from Major League Soccer, plays Venezu-

ela on Jan. 21, then is at Panama four days later.

“While an unfortunate situation, it provides me the opportunity

to call him in and continue to get him integrated with our

system as we prepare the team for qualifying this

summer,’’ Klinsmann said. “I have spoken

with the coach at Schalke and

Jermaine, and we all agree this is

what’s best.’’

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Turkish soccer star LefterKucukandonyadis diesLefter Kucukandonyadis, one of the best players in Turkish soccer history, has died at 86.His death was announced by Fenerbahce, one of his for-mer teams. The state-run Anadolu Agency said Kucukand-onyadis died of pneumonia Friday at Istanbul’s American Hospital.Kucukandonyadis was the captain of Turkey’s national team, making 46 appearances for his country. He scored 423 goals in 615 games for Fenerbahce.Born in 1925 in Istanbul to a fisherman father from Turkey’s minority Greek community, Kucukandonyadis was the first soccer player from Turkey to play abroad. He transferred to Italy’s Fiorentina in 1951 fol-lowed by a spell with Nice in France.After his retirement in 1966, Kucukandonyadis coached clubs in Greece, South Africa and Turkey.

Player of the Week Maximiliano Aquino · Do great in school so I can become a professional soccer player ... tenham spied on officials during the club’s failed bid to take over

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