Sao Paulo: Brazilian striker Neymar said Saturday he will be joining Barcelona after the Confederations Cup, the latest addition to a star-filled roster that already includes four-time FIFA Player of the Year Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.
The decision came a day after Neymar's Brazilian club, Santos, said it had accepted offers from Barcelona and Spanish rival Real Madrid, and that it was up to him to pick where he wanted to play.
The 21-year-old striker made the announcement on Twitter and other social media sites.
"I wouldn't be able to wait until Monday. My friends and my family already know of my decision," he wrote. "On Monday I will sign a contract with Barcelona."...
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08:56 AM, May 26, 2013
Sao Paulo: Brazilian club Santos accepted the offers made by Barcelona and Real Madrid for young striker Neymar, who will now decide where he wants to go. Details of the offers were not made official, but Brazilian media reported that Real Madrid are willing to pay 35 million for Neymar, 7 million more than rivals Barcelona. Real Madrid also reportedly offered a bigger salary, but the player has said in...
09:11 AM, May 25, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Barcelona have reportedly made a final offer of 23 million euros to sign Brazil international striker Neymar during the European summer transfer window. The Catalan club's football director Raul Sanllehi returned to Spain Thursday after a week of negotiations with Neymar's club Santos and his representatives, Estado de S.Paulo newspaper reported. The Brazilian outfit has reportedly rejected successive bids of 18 million euros and 20 million euros...
03:54 PM, May 24, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Andres Iniesta says Spain cannot yet claim to be on the same pedestal as Brazil in football's international hierarchy. The Barcelona midfielder has been a key member of a Spain team that has won the two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. Iniesta said Brazil had maintained a unique aura owing to the country's rich football history. "To have won five World Cups like Brazil has...
03:15 PM, May 21, 2013
Washington: US President Barack Obama has asked Americans to be more competitive as millions of young people from countries like India, China and Brazil are joining the global workforce. "In today's hyper-connected, hyper-competitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil - many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did - all of them entering the global workforce alongside you,...
12:16 PM, May 20, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff officially opened Brasilia's Mane Garrincha World Cup stadium. Despite controversy surrounding delays and cost overruns, Rousseff said the 71,000-seat venue was now the source of pride among Brazilians, reports Xinhua. "A year ago they said that we wouldn't build our stadiums, that they wouldn't be ready. But now we are seeing that the stadiums have been built and are being opened. I am...
03:00 PM, May 19, 2013
Sao Paulo's World Cup stadium will be ready on time, FIFA said on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after warning the city it could lose the right to stage matches because of delays in building the new arena. Soccer's governing body said it had reached a settlement with stadium owners Corinthians the day after the two parties were involved in a public disagreement. Corinthians president Andres Sanchez said there had...
12:29 PM, May 16, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: FIFA has warned that Sao Paulo could be stripped of its status as a 2014 World Cup host city due to stadium construction delays. Local officials last week said the Itaquerao Stadium would not be ready until at least March next year, more than two months after the FIFA deadline. But FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke Tuesday said there would be no compromise on a requirement that...
07:16 PM, May 15, 2013
Sao Paulo: Ronaldinho and Kaka have been left out of Brazil's team for the Confederations Cup in June. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari on Tuesday also overlooked Alexandre Pato and Ramires for the World Cup warm-up tournament that Brazil will host. The team does include Santos' Neymar, Chelsea's Oscar, Real Madrid's Marcelo, and Paris Saint-Germain's Lucas and Thiago Silva. "I sincerely hope that from now on, regardless of the players...
09:59 PM, May 14, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Midfielder Deco has tested positive for a banned diuretic in Brazil and says he will appeal the result, saying it likely stemmed from contaminated vitamins. Football officials in Rio de Janeiro say the former Chelsea and Portugal playmaker tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic which can help hide performance enhancing substances. The test came after Fluminense's 2-0 win over Boavista on March 30. The player's lawyers told...
04:51 PM, May 01, 2013
Brazil were booed by their own fans after stumbling to a 2-2 draw with Chile in their first friendly at a 2014 World Cup stadium on Wednesday. The match at the newly refurbished Mineirao in Belo Horizonte was coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's last test before naming his squad on May 14 for the Confederations Cup to be held at six venues in Brazil in June. The friendly, in which Chile...
10:51 AM, Apr 25, 2013
Sao Paulo: Ronaldinho will captain Brazil in their friendly against Chile on Wednesday, moving into a strong position to confirm his spot in the Confederations Cup squad. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari reiterated his confidence in the two-time FIFA player of the year on Tuesday, picking him to lead the team in its final match before the Confederations Cup squad is announced. Scolari has already said he will likely choose between...
10:12 AM, Apr 24, 2013
Sao Paulo: Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will likely choose between Ronaldinho and Kaka for his squad at the Confederations Cup in June. The coach said in an interview with Folha de S. Paulo newspaper published Monday that he almost certainly won't pick both players when Brazil host the World Cup warm-up tournament. Scolari said he gave enough chances to both players, adding there's a "90 percent chance" that he...
12:30 AM, Apr 23, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Brazil international defender Dede has had his $7 million move from Vasco da Gama to Cruzeiro blocked by the country's treasury department. Rio de Janeiro's football federation (FERJ) confirmed in a statement on Friday that the transfer had been suspended due to Vasco's $25 million tax debt, reports Xinhua. "FERJ has received notice of a judicial decision that impedes the transfer of Dede," the statement said. News...
02:23 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Rome: Robinho will stay with AC Milan next season and would like to complete 10 years at the Serie A club, the Brazil striker said on Friday. "I want to finish the season on a positive note, play well next season and then it will be time to renew," the Gazzetta Dello Sport quoted the attacker as saying on Friday. "I can assure you that these won't be my last...
06:13 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Sakhir, Bahrain Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone insists the Brazilian Grand Prix will remain at Interlagos, saying he has received assurances from the mayor of Sao Paulo that long-demanded upgrades to the circuit will take place. Ecclestone, in Sakhir for the Bahrain GP, also says F1 is "talking to quite a few countries" about being added to the calendar. Among them are Thailand, Mexico and Turkey. Ecclestone says it is...
05:01 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho has been named in Brazil's squad for next week's friendly against Chile. His inclusion comes after an impressive display in Brazil's 4-0 win over Bolivia earlier this month, a match that marked the 33-year-old's return to the team after being dropped for friendlies against Italy and Russia, reports Xinhua. The April 24 fixture at Belo Horizonte's Mineirao World Cup...
09:57 AM, Apr 17, 2013
Sao Paulo: Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone says Sao Paulo could be taken off the calendar if the city fails to improve facilities at its Interlagos Grand Prix circuit. The F1 chief has given local officials an ultimatum to upgrade commercial boxes, event rooms and sanitary areas in addition to the paddock and pit-lane areas, reports Xinhua. "The design of the circuit is among the best in the world, but...
11:12 AM, Apr 16, 2013
Zurich: Croatia made a big move to No. 4 in the FIFA rankings after two World Cup qualifying wins, and tournament hosts Brazil dropped to No. 19 on Thursday. World and European champions Spain led an unchanged top three, ahead of Germany and Argentina, after a busy month of World Cup qualifying. Croatia's victories over Serbia and Wales lifted them five places, and No. 5 Portugal climbed two spots. Colombia...
02:05 PM, Apr 11, 2013
Brasilia/Sao Paulo: More than half a million tickets have been sold for the Confederations Cup in June, but host nation Brazil has yet to finish the main stadiums to be used in the dress rehearsal for the 2014 soccer World Cup. On the eve of yet another FIFA deadline, Brazil has delivered only three of the six venues for the eight-nation warm-up starting in two months. World soccer's governing body...
09:58 PM, Apr 10, 2013
