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AC Milan players rewarded in poll

The uefa.com users’ Team of 2007 has been announced, with UEFA Champions League winners AC Milan having the most players in this year’s selection.

Over 3.75 million votes were cast by 277,985 individual uefa.com users in the poll. The dream dozen contains just two survivors from last year’s team along with five newcomers. Milan’s trio includes central defender Alessandro Nesta, who was also selected in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and left midfield player Clarence Seedorf, who also appeared in the 2002 team. Colleague Kaká with 220,333 votes received the highest number of votes overall and is selected for a second successive year, this time as attacking midfielder.

Also surviving from last year’s team is Steven Gerrard, who is selected for a third time, and is the only player from beaten UEFA Champions League finalists Liverpool FC to feature. English clubs are to the fore, though, with John Terry – selected in 2005 – and newcomer Didier Drogba from Chelsea FC joined by Cristiano Ronaldo, whose previous selection came in 2004. His Manchester United FC coach Sir Alex Ferguson is perhaps belatedly selected for the first time, recognition of his achievement in guiding his team a ninth Premier League title under his stewardship.

Another somewhat belated newcomer is Real Madrid CF goalkeeper Iker Casillas, while Sevilla FC right-back Daniel Alves, FC Barcelona left-back Eric Abidal and FC Internazionale Milano striker Zlatan Ibrahimović are also selected for the first time.

uefa.com site manager Adrian Harte said: “User participation is a popular buzzword today but our users have contributed to the success of uefa.com from the start and we are delighted that they have again voted in huge numbers to choose their team of the year. “It is a mix of established figures getting overdue recognition and young players on the way up. Indeed, all the twelve will be back in UEFA Champions League action next month, further proof that the competition showcases the best players in the world.”

uefa.com users’ Team of 2007: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF); Daniel Alves (Sevilla FC), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), John Terry (Chelsea FC), Eric Abidal (FC Barcelona); Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), Kaká (AC Milan), Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan); Zlatan Ibrahimović (FC Internazionale Milano), Didier Drogba (Chelsea FC). Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United FC). uefa.com

Team of the Year results at http://www.uefa.com/fanzone/teamoftheyear/2007/index.html.

Beautiful soccer babe

Memorandum of Understanding signed between UEFA and ECA

A new era in football began today at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the newly-formed European Club Association (ECA), representing the interests of clubs at European level and UEFA, the governing body of European football.

In opening the meeting today UEFA President Michel Platini said: “After being elected and confronting the problems in football I said that the game, that dialogue, and the exchange of ideas was the solution. I now count on you, football counts on you, UEFA counts on you, and the youth of today counts on you.”

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, current chairman of the ECA, said: “Normally with agreements there are winners and losers but this time everyone is a winner. I must thank UEFA President Michel Platini for the speed with which these actions have been set in motion and without whom many of these solutions would not have been possible.”

Following on from the joint FIFA-UEFA announcement of Tuesday 15 January, the creation today of the ECA thus paves the way for harmony to return to football between the governing bodies and the clubs. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding today means that UEFA recognises the ECA as the sole body representing the interests of clubs at European level and the ECA recognises UEFA as the governing body of football at European level, and FIFA as the governing body of football at worldwide level.

The ECA, as an independent autonomous body representing the European clubs, is drawn from all of UEFA’s 53 member associations. The ECA shall in principle be composed of 103 clubs with the precise number of clubs from each member association established every two years at the end of the UEFA season on the basis of the then current UEFA ranking position of its member associations.

It was agreed that a transitional ECA Board* would represent the ECA and its 16 founding members** until the next general assembly meets at the end of the season, when elections for a new Executive Board will be held. The ECA Board will be composed of 11 members, plus the four representatives appointed by the Executive Board to the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council.

The ECA will also provide half of the members of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding it was agreed to distribute every four years an amount from the UEFA European Football Championship to national associations for them to pass on to their clubs who have contributed to the successful staging of a UEFA EURO™. The target distribution amount for UEFA EURO 2008™ is €43.5 million and for UEFA EURO 2012™ €55 million (providing financial results are substantially similar to those of UEFA EURO 2008™). The payments shall be made on a “per day per player” basis. The distribution amount for UEFA EURO 2008™ of €43.5 million is divided by the total number of days which gives a “per player per day” amount of approximately €4,000. For UEFA EURO 2012™ this is expected to be approximately €5,000. As well as the direct financial benefits from UEFA EURO™ for the clubs, the Memorandum of Understanding also ensures that UEFA is set to schedule qualifying matches for the UEFA EURO™, whenever possible, in maximum groups of six. In conclusion, UEFA President Michel Platini thanked those who worked at the heart of this historic agreement with the clubs: “I would like to place on record and express my sincere thanks to the FIFA President, Joseph Blatter and the FIFA General Secretary, Jérôme Valcke, as well as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Adriano Galliani, Umberto Gandini, Joan Laporta, Peter Kenyon and Ramón Calderón.”

Al-Hilal came from 2-1 down to seal a win over a strong Manchester United side at the packed King Fahd Stadium…

1-0 Al Qahtani 19′

1-1 Tevez 25′

1-2 Ronaldo 33′

2-2 Al Jaber 39′

3-2 Al-Khasrashi 73′