Kroenke takes control of Arsenal
Arsenal had agreed to be taken over by American billionaire Stan Kroenke in a deal which would value the club at 731 million pounds. The US billionaire company Kroenke Sports Enterprises already holds a 29.9 per cent stake in the club, just shy of the level that requires a formal takeover offer. Kroenke, who owns several major sports teams in the United States, has now agreed to buy another 16 per cent of Arsenal from board member Danny Fiszman, who is seriously ill. Another shareholder at Arsenal who has agreed to sell shares in the club is Lady Nina Bracewell Smith who also hold about 16 per cent stake and is reported to have agreed a deal.
» weekly reviewEnglish Premier League : 11.4.11
Arsenal keep title hopes alive
Arsenal beat Blackpool 3-1 to keep pace with leader Manchester United. The Gunners trail United by seven points, but that gap would be reduced to a point by beating the 18-time champions and also winning their game in hand. United, who beat Fulham 2-0, have 69 points, Arsenal 62, while Chelsea moved up to third on 58 after a 1-0 victory over beat bottom club Wigan Athletic.
Manchester City, who visit Liverpool on Monday, have 56 points, three clear of Tottenham who beat Stoke City 3-2. Aston Villa ended their recent run of poor form with a first win in four matches, beating Newcastle United 1-0. Wolverhampton remain second-last after losing 3-0 at home to Everton with West Ham United third-bottom after going down by the same score at Bolton.
» weekly reviewSpanish Primera Liga : 11.4.11
Valencia thrash Villarreal
Lionel Messi ensured Barcelona maintained their eight-point lead over Real Madrid ahead of next weekend's " Clasico'', scoring twice as the La Liga leaders came from behind to win 3-1 over last-placed Almeria. Real Madrid, who beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0, host Barcelona next Saturday in the first of four possible meetings between the Spanish giants in 18 days.
Roberto Soldado and Juanma Mata scored two goals apiece to lead Valencia to a 5-0 rout of Villarreal, strengthening their grip on third place and the last automatic UEFA Champions League qualification slot in La Liga. Valencia's second straight win lifted them six points clear of Villarreal. Sevilla climbed to fifth place, one ahead of Bilbao, after a 2-2 draw at Mallorca.
» weekly reviewFrench Ligue 1 : 11.4.11
Marseille held to draw, Lyon climb
Lille's title challenge suffered a setback when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Monaco. The Ligue 1 leaders have 58 points from 30 games, but Marseille, in second spot, missed a chance to cut the gap to a point. The French champions instead could only move three points behind Lille as they needed a late equalizer to salvage a 2-2 draw at home with Toulouse.
Lyon moved back into the French league title race by beating Lens 3-0, leapfrog Rennes into third place, five points behind Lille. Paris Saint-Germain boosted their European chances with a 2-1 win at Caen that lifted them within two points of fourth-placed Rennes who lost 2-0 at Brest. Caen are 17th, one point above Auxerre who slipped into the drop zone after a 2-2 draw with Saint-Etienne.
» weekly reviewGerman Bundesliga : 11.4.11
Leverkusen keep pressure on Dortmund
Bayer Leverkusen kept the Bundesliga title race alive by coming from behind to beat St. Pauli 2-1 and cut Borussia Dortmund's lead to five points with five matches each to play. Leaders Dortmund were held 1-1 at Hamburger, while Hanover replaced Bayern Munich in third place and strengthened their UEFA Champions League hopes with a 2-0 home win against fifth-placed Mainz.
Bayern fired coach Louis Van Gaal after a 1-1 draw with Nurnberg. Schalke clinched a 1-0 win against Wolfsburg, whuile Freiburg recovered from 2-1 down to defeat Hoffenheim 3-2. Stuttgart remain just two points above the relegation zone after squandering a 2-1 lead in a 4-2 loss to Kaiserslautern. Bottom club Borussia Monchengladbach thrashed Koln 5-1 to boost their survival hopes.
» weekly reviewItalian Serie A : 11.4.11
Milan maintain three-point lead
Milan overcame a late response from Fiorentina and the sending off of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to earn a 2-1 victory and stay three points clear of Napoli. Napoli triumphed 2-0 at Bologna, moving back ahead of Inter, who beat Chievo Verona 2-0. Francesco Totti struck twice to lift Roma to a 2-1 win at Udinese and Lazio overtook Udinese for fourth place with a 2-0 home triumph against Parma.
Juventus twice came from behind to beat Genoa, staying six points behind Lazio and two adrift of sixth-placed Roma in the second Europa League spot. Palermo blew a two-goal lead at home to Cesena in their first game since the return of coach Delio Rossi. Lecce rose three points clear of the Serie A relegation zone and leapfrogged Sampdoria by overcoming them 2-1.
German Bundesliga : Bayern : 10.4.11
Bayern sacks Louis van Gaal, Jonker caretaker
Bayern has fired coach Louis van Gaal with immediate effect. Van Gaal was due to leave the club at the end of the season, but the Bayern board announced on Sunday it had fired the Dutchman with five games remaining. Bayern also fired three of van Gaal's assistants. Another assistant, Andries Jonker, will coach the team until the end of the season.
The announcement comes after Bayern were held to a 1-1 draw with Nuernberg in the Bundesliga. The two points dropped mean that the defending German champions are now a point behind Hannover in fourth place with five matches remaining, and only the top three teams qualify for next season's Champions League.
» injured listSpanish Primera Liga : Barcelona : 10.4.11
Bojan Krkic out for up to eight weeks
Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic is set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering ligament damage to his left knee during 3-1 victory against Almeria on Saturday. He started ahead of David Villa but was substituted for the latter 31 minutes into the Camp Nou fixture. The 20-year-old, who has scored six goals for the Catalan side this season, will be out for up to eight weeks. Bojan joins a number of Barcelona players on the sideline, including defenders Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal as the season enters its final stretch with the defending league champion alive in three competitions.
