Ajax Ace Mounir El Hamdaoui: The Media Has Portrayed Me Unfairly

Mounir El Hamdaoui has spoken of his cathartic experience in striking for Ajax on Friday evening against De Graafschap.
Mounir El Hamdaoui’s goal for Ajax against De Graafschap on Friday evening was a cause for double-delight for the attacker, who believes that the media portrayed him wrongly during a recent period of exile.

It seemed that the Moroccan was set to leave the Amsterdam ArenA after a falling out with coach Martin Jol, but poor results would ultimately account for the side’s general, leaving El Hamdaoui to regain the spotlight and put the local press right.

“I never doubted the reaction of the fans,” he explained to Goal.com’s Wout Stravers. “The fans empathise and know what happened. The media sketched a picture of me that was not correct. It was so nice that the fans reacted.

“That I could be important to the team feels good. It was not our best match. That we won was ultimately the important thing.”

Ajax remain third in the Eredivisie, and will be looking to peg back PSV and Twente in the coming weeks.

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Cristiano Ronaldo Is The Best Free-Kick Taker In The World – Juninho

Juninho believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best free-kick taker on the planet.
Juninho Pernambucano is a name still revered in the football circles for his exceptional ability to strike the static ball. Throughout his career, he has scored some memorable goals with the most recent being against Barcelona in the 2008-09 Champions League where his swerving and dipping shot caught Victor Valdes unawares.

His “knuckle balling’ technique for long range free-kicks have been adopted by some of the present day stars like Didider Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, not many have been able to master the method as much as the exponent himself.

“When I played at Lyon, it helped me very much to be good free-kick player. In this moment also, there are Brazilian players who are on top like Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos as they have the talent and the quality. But you will see that there are a lot of players who are also good.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is also a good player and shoots very well. He is one of the best players to shoot free-kick in the world now,” opined Juninho who now plies his trade in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) with Al Gharafa.

In his very first season with the Qatari club, he helped them on to win the treble and was thus named the Player of the Year by the Qatar FA. But how long would it take for Qatar to match the standard of football played in Europe?

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Knockout For Inter's Cristian Chivu As He Gets Four-Match Ban For Marco Rossi Punch

Four-match suspension for fist-throwing Chivu following Bari-Inter clash.
Inter defender Cristian Chivu's right hook on Bari's Marco Rossi has landed him the knockout punch he didn't want as he receives a four-match ban.

The Romanian escaped punishment on the pitch, and despite his tearful apology after the game, Italy's sports judge Giampaolo Tosel used TV footage from the match to reach his decision.

An extract of the statement released by the disciplinary panel reads:

"Having examined the television images of the Bari - Inter game, the gesture from the Inter player was intentional and potentially damaging given the delicate area of the body he hit. The conclusion beyond all reasonable doubt is one of violent conduct."

Chivu misses games against Roma, Juventus, Cagliari and Sampdoria.

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Yuto Nagatomo: It's A Dream To Play For Inter & I'm Ready For Roma Clash

Nagatomo embraces Inter project and underlines ambition to win.
Japan international Yuto Nagatomo spoke of his pride after fulfilling his dream to join Inter.

The 24-year-old left-back who arrived from Cesena underlined his ambition during his unveilling, and so far it's a good start.

"Inter are the club I wanted, they are the club world champions and I am very proud to be here," Nagatomo told Inter.it.

"Everyone here is very gentle with me and I am well, it has been an excellent start.

"I work hard and I am not one to hold back. I cannot wait to get on the pitch. I am ready for the coach whenever he needs me."

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