http://www.earthtimes.org The Earth Times online newspaper, serving the planet with worldwide sports news that matters en-us PHP/4.4.4 http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296088,van-gaal-safe-for-a-while-at-bayern-as-toni.html Hamburg - Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has given coach Louis van Gaal his backing for the next few weeks and said the management would be working together with the Dutchman to overcome problems with the side. Hoeness told Bavarian te... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:58:21 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296088,van-gaal-safe-for-a-while-at-bayern-as-toni.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296077,bayern-facing-early-exit--van-gaal-too--feature.html Hamburg - Bayern Munich's fate in the Champions League is out of their hands as they take on Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday. The fate of coach Louis van Gaal meanwhile hangs in the balance. Exit from a competition Bayern won in 2001 is bound to increase ... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:52:13 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296077,bayern-facing-early-exit--van-gaal-too--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296068,brooding-gattuso-may-consider-a-farewell-to-ac-milan--feature.html Rome - His motto, quoted from his own website, states that he would play at AC Milan even as a goalkeeper. But Gennaro Gattuso, international midfielder who turns 32 in January, may be close to bidding farewell to the club where he won one Serie A sc... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:22:15 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296068,brooding-gattuso-may-consider-a-farewell-to-ac-milan--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296067,reports-gago-and-van-nistelrooy-may-leave-real-madrid-in-january.html Madrid - Fernando Gago and Ruud Van Nistelrooy are both considering leaving Real Madrid in January, according to reports in the Spanish media on Tuesday. Madrid sports daily AS claims on Tuesday that midfielder Gago has suggested to Real that he be... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:10:26 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296067,reports-gago-and-van-nistelrooy-may-leave-real-madrid-in-january.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296057,background-teams-qualified-for-the-2010-world-cup-finals.html Hamburg - All 32 teams qualified for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa: ... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:40:15 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296057,background-teams-qualified-for-the-2010-world-cup-finals.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296047,defender-evans-looking-to-build-on-glowing-reputation.html London - For other Manchester United players Wednesday's Champions League game against Besiktas might be a weary ritual, but for Jonny Evans it is another chance to impress. United have already qualified for the knockout stage, and are playing only t... UK,Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:16:19 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296047,defender-evans-looking-to-build-on-glowing-reputation.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296030,fixtures-world-cup-2010-fixtures.html Hamburg - World Cup 2010 fixtures. The draw for the finals will be held in Cape Town December 4.... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:28:14 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296030,fixtures-world-cup-2010-fixtures.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296028,analysis-the-big-five-stadiums-could-become-white-elephants.html Johannesburg - Are the new stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a country where football jostles with rugby and cricket for audience, destined to become white elephants after the month-long tournament?That's the 12.1-billion-rand, o... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:22:23 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296028,analysis-the-big-five-stadiums-could-become-white-elephants.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296027,south-africans-embrace-football-kulcha--feature.html Soweto, Johannesburg - Orlando Stadium, Soweto, on a Saturday afternoon in October. The foghorn of hundreds of plastic trumpets, called vuvuzelas, wafts up out of the stands across the sprawling township as if calling Sowetans to prayer. Men and wome... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:22:20 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296027,south-africans-embrace-football-kulcha--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296026,stars-that-wont-be-shining--feature.html Hamburg - Andrei Arshavin, Zlatan Ibrahomovic and Andriy Shevchenko are just three of the world's most prominent footballers who will be missing the World Cup. Arshavin, 28, and his Russian teammates dazzled at Euro 2008 for a place in the semi-final... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:22:19 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296026,stars-that-wont-be-shining--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296025,on-high-alert-world-cup-security-concerns--feature.html Johannesburg - The author of an article in Britain's Guardian newspaper on the subject of why going to South Africa for the World Cup terrifies me must have been thinking last week she spoke too soon. In the July 7 article, which caused outrage in ... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:16:19 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296025,on-high-alert-world-cup-security-concerns--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296024,background-world-cup-history--germanys-miracle-and-pele.html The 1954 tournament turned out to be an even more surprising World Cup than 1950, because hot favourites Hungary were beaten 3-2 in the Berne final - since dubbed the miracle of Berne in Germany - by a West German side t... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:16:18 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296024,background-world-cup-history--germanys-miracle-and-pele.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296023,background-world-cup-finally-comes-to-africa-after-traversing-globe.html Madrid ­ In June 2010 the World Cup will finally arrive in Africa, after 80 years of travelling between America, Europe and, in 2002, Asia. Now that Africa has finally been chosen to stage the fin... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:16:16 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296023,background-world-cup-finally-comes-to-africa-after-traversing-globe.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296022,background-its-all-in-the-balls.html Hamburg - The draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, consisting of the 32 teams that qualify, will be held in Cape Town's International Convention Centre (CTICC) on December 4. Although the exact procedure for the draw has yet to be clarified b... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:16:16 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296022,background-its-all-in-the-balls.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296021,south-africa-in-international-football--feature.html Johannesburg - History is supposed to be the study of facts, but as in so many things in South Africa, even the history of international football in the country is not as straight forward as it should be. A number of questions immediately arise when ... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:10:23 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296021,south-africa-in-international-football--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296020,background-from-jozi-to-the-mother-nine-host-cities-in-brief.html Johannesburg -The nine cities hosting the 2010 World Cup offer a bewildering spectrum of of backdrops, from beach to bush, and mountains to mine dumps and maize fields. -- JOHANNESBURG: Over a century after the city was founded at the site of a gold ... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:10:21 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296020,background-from-jozi-to-the-mother-nine-host-cities-in-brief.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296019,backgrounder-african-themes-for-new-world-cup-stadiums.html Johannesburg - South Africa has pulled out all the stops in building five new stadiums and upgrading five others for the World Cup. Initial fears that the new stadiums would not be completed on time for the tournament because of a late start to const... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:10:17 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296019,backgrounder-african-themes-for-new-world-cup-stadiums.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296017,team-profile-uruguay-seek-to-raise-their-level-in-south.html Buenos Aires - Uruguay were the last team to make it to the 2010 World Cup, but their players are looking forward to their chance of reviving the South American country's long-gone football greatness. Uruguay have won two editions of the prestigious ... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:04:14 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296017,team-profile-uruguay-seek-to-raise-their-level-in-south.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296016,team-profile-just-getting-to-the-finals-is-victory.html Wellington - Winning the right to go to South Africa for the 2010 finals has put football in the spotlight in New Zealand - where rugby is the national sport - for the first time in a generation. It has been a long time coming. The All Whites have ma... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:04:14 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296016,team-profile-just-getting-to-the-finals-is-victory.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296015,team-profile-stop-start-france-looking-to-ignite-in-south-africa.html Paris - After an eventful and controversial qualifying campaign, France head to South Africa in 2010 hoping to put the disappointment of losing in the final to Italy last time around in Germany behind them. Against all the odds, Raymond Domenech is s... Sports Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:04:12 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296015,team-profile-stop-start-france-looking-to-ignite-in-south-africa.html