International Roundup

Star striker vows to quit AEK as Greek gloom persists

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Star striker Demis Nikolaidis abruptly ended his seven-year career at AEK Athens Thursday after claiming he was attacked by the club's maverick boss Makis Psomiadis.

The 29-year-old Greek international filed a lawsuit against Psomiadis and said he would no longer participate in club training sessions or activities.

He alleged he was assaulted on Tuesday night and received threats against his life as the club boss personally checked up on players suspected of sleeping late.

"Psomiadis is destroying my career and destroying my team," Nikolaidis said, flanked by two bodyguards. "As a footballer and as a person I cannot accept any dealings with him."

It was the latest sign of crisis in Greek soccer, already mired by financial crisis, fan violence, and lingering allegations of corruption.

"To threaten the life of a soccer player ... This is the worst incident I have ever heard of since I first became involved in soccer," said sports minister Giorgos Lianis, himself a former footballer.

The famously brash and cigar-smoking Psomiadis is appealing a 12-year forgery conviction and has been banned from leaving the country.

Nikolaidis is currently Greece's second-highest scorer with 8 goals from 14 league games.

Nikolaidis -- who has an AEK tattoo on his left shoulder -- did not announce his immediate plans but is likely to join a growing list of players seeking an exit from the Greek league.

Clubs are still suffering the consequences from September's collapse of the Alpha digital pay-TV channel, which cost them an estimated 35 million euros (US$37 million) in annual revenue.

Former Spanish Sevilla midfielder Vassilis Tsartas broke ties last month with AEK Athens after being refused back pay and bonuses worth more than a million euros.

At other teams, dozens of players have been forced to accept salary cuts or have gone unpaid for weeks.

Greek soccer -- widely viewed as the playground of unscrupulous businessmen -- has been frequently plagued by allegations of corruption and match rigging, despite repeated government attempts to clean up the sport.

Efforts to tackle soccer violence have also failed to stop frequent outbreaks of trouble. Three fans were stabbed and hospitalized Sunday during a game between archrivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos.

Greek spirits were further dampened after the country lost a joint bid with neighbor Turkey to host the 2008 European Championship soccer finals.

The bid was beaten last month in the final stage by favorites Austria and Switzerland.

"I can't believe the things that are going on, what are the league organizers doing?" said Antonis Antoniadis, head of Greece's professional footballers association. "Nikolaidis is an exemplary player ... these kinds of things are an embarrassment for our players and for our country."

Government spokesman Christos Protopapas, in an unmistakable reference to Psomiadis, vowed to fight what he described as efforts to "introduce the rules of the underworld in this popular sport."

Israel's Revivo set for move to Galatasaray

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Israel international Haim Revivo looked set to join Turkish champions Galatasaray from Fenerbahce on Thursday in a rare cross-town move between the two bitter Istanbul rivals, local newspapers have reported.

The midfielder's transfer could mark a breach of a long-standing gentlemen's agreement between Turkey's biggest clubs not to poach each other's top players.

Revivo, however, parted company with Fenerbahce last month, reportedly buying out his own contract in exchange for unpaid wages from the club.

Weeks later media reports say a deal with Galatasaray is all but sealed, although club officials contacted by Reuters would not confirm any final signing on Thursday.

The intense rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce broke out in violence at a derby earlier this season at which Fener scored an historic 6-0 win.

Revivo, 30, signed for Fenerbahce in 2000 but has struggled for a place since the arrival of Argentinian Ariel Ortega.

Newspaper reports said Revivo planned to hold a press conference to explain his decision to Fenerbahce fans and to appeal for their understanding.

Galatasaray were also due to sign striker Ali Lukunku from Standard Liege on Thursday, the club said.

Galatasaray are second in the 18-team super league, which restarts in early February after a winter break. Leaders Besiktas are two points ahead on 41 with a game in hand. Fenerbahce are fourth with 35 points.

FIFA orders Fulham to pay final installment for Marlet

LONDON (AP) -- FIFA has given Fulham a deadline of Jan. 20 to pay Lyon the final installment on its 11.5 million pound (US$18.4 million) transfer fee for French international Steve Marlet.

The west London club has held out on the final 2.5 million (US$4 million) because of a dispute with the players' agents.

But now it has received a letter from soccer's world governing body informing the club of the deadline, with the likelihood FIFA will block future transfers if it doesn't pay up.

"Fulham have been requested to pay up or provide an explanation about why they cannot. The deadline we have set is Jan. 20," said FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren.

"If they do not pay up by the deadline, the case will have to be pursued further and we could possibly call a meeting between the clubs.

"There is a possibility that transfer embargoes could be placed on Fulham but that would take time," Herren said. "It wouldn't be an immediate decision as we need to investigate the case further."

Fulham is withholding payment because the club is unhappy at the role played by agents Sebastien and Pascal Boisseau.

The Cottagers are also attempting to recover 500,000 pounds (dlrs 800,000) they paid to the Boisseaus and have withheld a remaining 500,000 still owed to the brothers.

Bayern agrees deal for Argentine Demichelis

BERLIN (Reuters) -- Bayern Munich have completed a deal to sign Argentine defender Martin Demichelis for a reported fee of 4.5 million euros, the German first division club said on Thursday.

Bayern said in December that Demichelis had agreed to join the club from River Plate, but the details still had to be ironed out. He due to sign a four-year contract on Tuesday subject to a medical.

Bayern are also aiming to sign VfL Wolfsburg's Tobias Rau, who has played for Germany's under-21 side. Bayern commercial manager Uli Hoeness said his club would agree a transfer fee of about one million euros or wait until 2004 to get Rau for nothing.

"There won't be much of a chance for Wolfsburg to get much money off us," Hoeness said. "When I hear numbers of three to five million euros for a transfer fee, I just laugh my head off. A sum of one million euros is appropriate. Otherwise, he'll come to Bayern Munich in 2004 for free."

FC Aarau saviour leaves Swiss club

ZURICH (Reuters) -- FC Aarau sporting director Fredy Strasser has left the Swiss club after saving them from going out of business last year.

"We were in serious trouble but we raised 3.5 million Swiss francs [$2.53 million] and now we are better off than a lot of the clubs in the league," club president Michael Hunziker told Reuters on Thursday.

"Fredy has done a great job since he has been here but he says that after 10 years, he wanted to make way for a new beginning.

"We want to thank him for what he has done and wish him well for the future."

Former FC Aarau player Charly Herberth, now a member of the club's board, has temporarily taken over from Strasser before his successor can be found.

Armenia sacks third national coach within a year

YEREVAN (Reuters) -- Argentine Oscar Lopez on Thursday became the third Armenian soccer coach to be sacked in 12 months after the country's sporting bosses refused his demand for a pay rise, the Armenian Soccer Federation (ASF) has said.

ASF chief Ruben Airapetyan, a wealthy oil tycoon, has been negotiating in Yerevan with Henri Michel -- who coached France to the 1986 Mexico World Cup -- about replacing Lopez.

The Argentine had demanded $300,000 a year, more than double his initially agreed salary of $120,000, the ASF said.

Lopez took over the job in July, intending to guide the national side into the 2004 European Championships. Armenia's previous two coaches were sacked during a poor World Cup qualifying campaign.

In the first two games of their European qualifying campaign, Armenia lost 2-0 to Greece in Athens and drew with Ukraine 2-2 at home. They meet Northern Ireland on March 29 and Spain on April 2.

Lopez will also leave his job as coach of top Armenian club side Pyunik Yerevan, having steered them to the league and cup double in his first year in charge.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.