QPR adds Cypriot Georgios Tofas until the end of the season

Queens Park Rangers agreed to terms through the end of the campaign with 21-year-old Cypriot midfielder Georgios Tofas.

Tofas trained at the Loftus Road recently after his depature from Anorthosis Famagusta.

"QPR is such a big club and I'm happy to be here," Tofas said when speaking with the QPR's official website. "I'll give my best for the club."

2009–10 UEFA Europa League: First Qualifying Round

First Qualifying Round

Draw Date: June 22, 2009
First Leg: July 2, 2009
Second Leg: July 9, 2009

Five clubs who could make it from the qualifying rounds to the group stage -- Anorthosis, KSP Polonia Warszawa, Motherwell, Rosenborg BK, and Inter Baku

Remember this name -- Bojan Vručina: 24-year-old forward at Slaven Belupo with 13 league goals last season. A strong summer could see the Croatian moving up to a more potent league before the transfer window closes.

46 Clubs Listed Below

Bnei Yehuda
Zimbru Chişinău
Simurq Zaqatala
B36 Tórshavn
Helsingborg
Sligo Rovers
Vllaznia
NSÍ Runavík
Spartak Trnava
Renova
Dinamo Tirana
UN Käerjeng 97
KSP Polonia Warszawa
Keflavík
MIKA
CS Grevenmacher
Szombathelyi Haladás
Fram
Banants Yerevan
Birkirkara
Slaven Belupo
Olimpi Rustavi
Irtysh
Valletta
Anorthosis
Zestaponi
Okzhetpes
Budućnost
Rudar Velenje
Dinamo Minsk
Linfield
Sutjeska Nikšić
FC Lahti
MTZ-RIPO
Lisburn Distillery
Rosenborg
Skonto Rīga
Trans
Llanelli
Randers
Široki Brijeg
Kalju
The New Saints
Motherwell
Vėtra
Inter Baku

Olympiacos Employ Ketsbaia

Olympiacos have announced Temuri Ketsbaia will take the reigns of the Piraeus-based club, nine months after his former dwelling Anorthosis Famagusta stunned Europe by becoming the first ever Cypriot representative in the Group Stages of the Champions League – at the expense of the Greek champions.

Stepping into the often-blinding spotlight as the fourteenth manager in a decade, Ketsbaia is expected to deliver continental acclaim to Olympiacos in correspondence with the Super League accolade, which has developed an everlasting habitat at the Karaiskakis Stadium. Twelve titles out of the preceding thirteen delivers an insight into how life will unfold in the Athens pressure cauldron and Ketsbaia’s AEK roots, where he spent three seasons as a player, might become a burden if his tenure begins deplorably.

Olympiacos president Sokratis Kokkalis announced the managerial appointment at a press conference at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium.

"I have met with Mr Ketsbaia and I have a very positive opinion about our collaboration. He is a young and ambitious person who will achieve the club's objectives."

"Ketsbaia's contract is for three years. From the day the departure of [former coach Ernesto] Valverde was made official, a lot of proposals reached our offices but the best choice was Ketsbaia. We wanted a person that will work very hard for Olympiacos and I believe with him we will have that."

"He has the qualifications and we will support him with all the resources possible. He is someone that knows Greek football very well and in our view we should all give him the support he needs in order for him to achieve success.”

Soccer Past: Mario Jardel

Rio Grande de Sol, Porto, Istanbul, Lisbon, Bolton, Ancona, Rosario, Larnaca, Newcastle – The destinations on show for Mario Jardel’s career could have been easily mistaken for the jet-setting antics of an affluent tycoon, but such has been the geographical scope of his profession that it pays perfect testiment to the life and times of the ultimate journeyman.

Guilty of tip-toeing around modern-day football from continent to continent in search for a last-minute fling with the beautiful game, the present-day 35 year-old reached soaring heights during his days at FC Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting Lisbon, which came in the years between 1996 to 2003. Infamously nicknamed ‘Super Mario’ during his time in Turkey, Jardel clocked up 198 league appearances for those three clubs and netted an earth-shattering 205 goals – an astonishing ratio beyond any recognition and such a feat that twice earnt him the esteemed accolade of the European Golden Shoe in 1999 and 2002. In doing so he followed in Ronaldo’s steps to become only the second Brazilian to achieve the elite prize coveted by every single forward on the continent.

For all the admiration truly earnt in his heyday, off-the-field indisciplines and untimely depression looked hellbent on strangling out the playing life of Mario Jardel, an irrefutably talented presence who could have been elevated to the stature of the greats, and became transformed into an ailing figure of a former self.

Released by Sporting Lisbon before the start of the 2003/2004 campaign, Jardel has since struggled to overcome the niggling injuries that have burnt any lingering desires to pull on the boots for one last extensive phase. Inevitable depression from divorcing his wife and the subsequent usage of cocaine, which he confessed at the beginning of the calendar year upon his premature release from Newcastle Jets, contributed to the downfall. “I started making mistakes when I had bad friendships. Then, divorce came, depression and then cocaine. I now want to restart my life. I am training. I am not a good example for children, but I am admitting my mistake."

The epicenter from his immediate fall from ‘grandeur’ can be pinpointed as early as 2002, where an article from the Guardian concluded the situation perfectly as ‘The disintegration of his marriage, which coincided with the summer's double disappointment of omission from Brazil's World Cup squad and a collapsed transfer to the Spanish League, has, he says, made him too depressed to play football.’ With Barcelona, Real Madrid and Real Betis rumoured to have made an approach – both ending disastrously as Sporting rejected promptly – Jardel’s much-craved transfer to Spain never came and thoughts gathered that his emotional exodus to his homeland was in protest at this.

Controversy was an ever-present mishap that threatened to overshadow a career that had the divine essences of success and prosperity beckoning. His stint in Istanbul with Galatasaray beared fruitful results with 22 goals but acted to go on strike when he wasn’t paid, before a potential legal battle lurked in the fore as a pre-contract with Benfica wasn’t honoured due to a lack of money on their side and thus led to Jardel signing for cross-city rivals Sporting. Cameos for Bolton, Newell’s Old Boys, Anorthosis Famagusta and most recently Newcastle Jets, where he starred as their marquee player, were short-lived and yet more contract wrangles with Deportivo Alaves have seen the former sensation fail to reignite the spark he possessed several years ago.

International ambitions remained just that and one of his disappointments will have been not to don the “Seleção” more often than just ten occasions, but returning to Brazil is an intelligent move and harbouring dreams of still playing consistently for club cannot be ripped apart yet. Transferring to one of the most renowned European teams eluded the grasps of Mario Jardel and to the day remains territory untouched, but twice being the recipient of the European Golden Shoe asserts the goalscoring figures that he was unquestionably one of the modern-day greats to have graced the European scene. Mario Jardel: The much-hyped rise and fall of the able traveller - Coming to a stadium near you.

Achievements:

- FIFA U-20 World Cup (1993)
- Copa Libertadores (1995)
- Portuguese Liga (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
- Portuguese Cup (1998, 2000)
- Portuguese Super Cup (1998)
- UEFA Super Cup (2000)
- Argentinian Torneo de Apertura (2004)
- Copa Libertadores Top Scorer (1995)
- Portuguese Liga Top Scorer (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002)
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer (1997, 2000)

• Profile at Football Database
• Mario Jardel Videography

UEFA Champions League Matchday 5: The Managers' Feedback

"Panathinaikos' win is absolutely deserved. People may say they were lucky but I don't agree. After that performance we don't deserve to go through. We must be angry with ourselves."
Jose Mourinho surprisingly philosophical over Inter Milan’s defeat to Panathinaikos, the first in their European campaign this season.

"The biggest success is that we made Greek players believe they can win away from home. Normally their self-belief away is not so big but they proved they can learn quickly.”
Panathinaikos manager Henk Ten Cate’s naturally buoyant post-match comments after dispatching Inter Milan at the San Siro. The Athens-based club reignited their hopes of progressing into the final 16 as the three points resulted in an elevation to 2nd place in Group B, with the Italian champions one point ahead.

“Sadly, we woke up too late. When at the end we did play better it wasn't enough. We are disappointed because we didn't reach our target and now we play Inter hoping for a Uefa Cup place."
Thomas Schaaf reflecting on Werder Bremen’s very average Champions League campaign, despite the efforts from Diego and Hugo Almeida which salvaged a draw against Anorthosis Famagusta.

"Europe are now talking about us...but we need a result in Athens.”
Anorthosis Famagusta manager Temuri Ketsbaia.

"I believe his focus was great. He wanted to do well and you could see he was completely committed in the game. Overall, I feel he did well."
Arsene Wenger delighted with the performance of the returning William Gallas, who was stripped of his captaincy after his public attack on his team-mates. Nikolas Bendtner scored the only goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 triumph over Dynamo Kyiv and consequently booked the Gunners’ place in the exclusive next round.

"My team were bravehearts, it was not the best game, it was 50/50. The Celtic coach was great afterwards. He came over and congratulated me. He gave me a smile which is fantastic."
Aalborg coach Allan Kuhn praising his Celtic counterpart for reacting positively to the defeat, not that it was much consolation to Strachan as their away day curse struck again and the Scottish champions crashed out of Europe entirely.

"We like to think that we are a big club and that we can handle defeat. We will not say that Aalborg were lucky. We had it in our own hands to win and we are not going to look anywhere else. I couldn't fault any of the players, I really couldn't.”
Gordon Strachan commenting on Celtic’s defeat - any possibility of clinching the derisory UEFA Cup place was snatched away from them in the latter stages of the match. Caca’s deflected shot and Gary Caldwell’s own goal threw the win to the Danish club despite Bryan Robson’s opening header that gave Celtic an initial advantage.

"It's never easy, it helped scoring two goals early. In the second half we lost control of the game, we had a lot of luck with the fourth one."
An uneasy Pep Guardiola on Barcelona’s 5-2 demolition job of Sporting Lisbon.

"It was a moving experience to have the fans outside on a cold night, urging the team on. To go out on the street and stay out in the cold without seeing the game while staying animated throughout like that. I think the players noted that and felt that. The public is an indispensable asset for us.”
Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre in complete admiration of the club’s fans, who celebrated their victory over PSV Eindhoven behind the Vicente Calderon stadium. No supporters were allowed into the stands as punishment by UEFA for crowd trouble last September, but goals from Simao Sabrosa and Maxi Rodriguez ensured they marched into the next round alongside Liverpool in Group D.

"Torres was a threat, Gerrard was a threat and Benayoun the same - but they [Marseille] have good players and played with pace - and they had clear chances but they had the same problem as us with the final pass, which was the difference today."
Rafa Benitez contemplates the difficulties which posed both Liverpool and Marseille, with Steven Gerrard’s header midway through the first half proving the decisive difference.

"The game is easy for us - 1-0 - but easy, we controlled the game. This is the main problem for us, they crossed the ball and one player changed the position, not marked and at this moment, a goal.”
Luiz Felipe Scolari rues dropping a point to rivals Bordeaux, a result which leaves Chelsea's Champions League fate yet to be decided with only one match remaining.

UEFA Champions League: Anorthosis Famagusta and BATE Steal Limelight

As European’s elite begin preparation for another season of shocks, surprises and the inevitable media-circus around Jose Mourinho’s long-awaited return to the Champions League, two of the leading performers have already stolen the show by making history. The heroes and villains of Champions League football usually arise as the latter stages progress, but Anorthosis Famagusta and FC BATE have already acclaimed success by remarkably reaching the Group Stages for the very first time.

FC BATE Borisov provided a breakthrough in Belarusian football by becoming the country’s first ever representatives in the Group Stages of the Champions League. It is rare that a club, let alone a new country, advances as far as the last 32 in Europe’s biggest club competition as the usual faces normally occupy the positions. The reigning champions of Belarus can savour an infamous trip to the Santiago Bernabéu and welcome Italian giants Juventus and UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg - a metaphoric eternity away from entertaining the likes of Iceland‘s Valur in the First Qualifying Round. Some teams claim to always have the ‘luck of the draw’, but BATE have stamped their authority in European football by overcoming established clubs and their Group Stage place is fully deserved. Many expected BATE to fall at the second qualifying hurdle against Anderlecht of Belgium but the apparent underdogs won 3-4 on aggregate. Levski Sofia too failed to halt BATE as they were defeated 2-1 across both legs, allowing them to break history and advance to the promised land. As BATE’s position in the Group Stage had already been secured, the draw awaited them and the hopes of their players were realised. Midfielder Sergei Kryvets declared "It would be nice to bring Europe's finest to Belarus. Personally, I want to face Real Madrid.” As the draw was made, the Belarusian outfit found that, almost by fate, they had been placed in arguably the most difficult group against Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit St Petersburg in Group H. While they have provided some of the surprises of the tournament so far, it would take a miracle for BATE to make it out of their group.

BATE’s coach Viktor Goncharenko is remaining cautious, declaring “To tell the truth, we're not ready. We weren't looking too far ahead and we concentrated only on the Levski date. As a matter of fact, I can't imagine how we'll be come mid-September.” For a team that only has an annual budget of £1.2m, Champions League prize money will boost BATE significantly and they have already received 1 million euros for becoming the first club from Belarus to break into the Group Stages. Even if they lost every match, the club now has European recognition that nobody had ever deemed realistic and it will place them on a financial footing that will see them dominate Belarusian football for many years to come.

In similar fashion, Anorthosis Famagusta became the pride of Cyprus by progressing to the latter stages for the first time in the club‘s and nation‘s history. They defeated Greek champions Olympiacos, who made it past the Group Stage last season.

Losing finalists Chelsea will encounter Roma, Bordeaux and Romanian debutants CFR Cluj in Group A, while Fernando Torres returns to his former club Atletico Madrid with Liverpool in an intriguing set of matches. In Group D, Liverpool have also been paired with PSV Eindhoven and Marseille, who they met at the same stage last season.

Holders Manchester United will face Celtic in a ‘Battle of Britain’, a repeat of the 2006/07 Group Stage where both sides won their homes matches as Gordon Strachen faces his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson. They will also face Spanish runners-up Villareal and Denmark’s Aalborg in Group E.

Arsenal were drawn alongside FC Porto, 2007/08 quarter-finalists Fenerbache and Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine in Group G.

In Group B, Inter Milan will play Werder Bremen of Germany while Anorthosis Famagusta hope to claim another Greek scalp in Panathinaikos.

Barcelona entertain Sporting Lisbon, FC Basel and Shakhtar Donetsk in what appears to be one of the easier draws in Group C.

Group F witnesses the clash of the champions from France and Germany as Lyon and Bayern Munich entertain Steaua Bucharest and Serie A outfit Fiorentina.

The ‘Group of Death’ in Group H sees two former victors Real Madrid, 9-time winners and the most successful team in the history of the tournament, and Juventus face UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg and Belarus entrants FC BATE Borisov.

Four Champions League Surprises

Four clubs surprised the pundits by pulling off impressive victories against higher ranked outfits. Based on current rankings:

• Anorthosis Famagusta (ranked 193) defeated Olympiacos (ranked 44)
• FC BATE Borisov (unranked) defeated Levski Sofia (ranked 80)
• Atlético Madrid (ranked 67) defeated Schalke 04 (ranked 22)
• Dynamo Kyiv (ranked 74) defeated Spartak Moscow (ranked 61)

FC BATE from Belarus and Anorthosis from Cyprus are the first clubs from their perspective countries to ever qualify for the UEFA Champions League.