Kaka will pull on Brazil yellow again after being included in the squad for the friendlies against Costa Rica and US next month. The 33-year-old Orlando City midfielder was left out of the squads for the 2015 Copa America and 2014 World Cup. He will be joined by Paris Saint-Germain forward Lucas and winger Hulk, currently with Zenit St Petersburg, who both earned recalls.
After a bout of fun Twitter banter between Yaya Toure and team-mate David Silva on Wednesday over who scored Manchester City’s opening goal in Monday’s 3-0 win over West Brom, it appears that the Premier League’s goal accreditation panel has made the decision for them. Yaya Toure had initially been credited with the goal, but now Premier League has twitted “GOAL ACCREDITATION PANEL @MCFC’s 1st goal against West Brom was in fact a @21LVA goal and has not been credited to @YayaToure” meaning the Silva has the goal. During the said match, a Toure shot appeared to take a slight deflection off David Silva before going through defender Craig Dawson’s legs and trickling over the line. This verdict means that Silva has score City’s opening goal of the season for the past three years!
Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has joined Serie A side Roma on a season-long loan. The Italian club have paid an initial £2.9m, with a further £7.9m due if the move is made permanent. “I came here to win titles with Roma,” Dzeko said. “I can only promise one thing and that is that I will give my best for this club in every game.” The 29-year-old Bosnia-Hercegovina international joined City from Wolfsburg in January 2011 for £27m. He had signed a new four-year contract at Etihad Stadium last summer. However, manager Manuel Pellegrini recently admitted Dzeko was likely to leave following the £49m capture of Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling. Dzeko was City’s leading scorer with 15 goals in 2012-13 and hit 26 more in all competitions as they won the Premier League the following season, but he managed only six goals in 32 appearances last season.
Costa Rica head coach Paulo Wanchope has resigned after being involved in a brawl during a match against Panama. The 39-year-old former Derby County and Manchester City striker retaliated after being pushed by a steward during the under-23 Olympic qualifier on Tuesday. The struggle between the two men ended when security guards pulled them apart. “Following a meeting, the manager Wanchope has decided to step aside,” said a Costa Rica statement. Wanchope said he got angry when the steward stopped him getting to the pitch. He said: “He denied me access even though I had accreditation. Then I decided to open the gate myself. Then I was pushed by the steward who was there and I pushed him back. You could all see that.” The former West Ham player added: “A thousand apologies to everyone in Panama for this incident, obviously also to Costa Rica for what has happened. “I have always been known for defending my country, and behaving in the best possible way. We’re human beings and I reacted in a way that was wrong.”
Southampton have signed Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu for £5m on a three-year contract. The 23-year-old Spaniard played 34 times for the Blues after joining the club from Barcelona in 2011. Romeu has spent the past two seasons on loan, at German club Stuttgart and at Valencia in his homeland.
Nigeria’s U-23 team coach, Samson Siasia, has invited 31 players for camping in preparation for next month’s All Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo. Nigeria will face Ghana, Senegal and Egypt in Group B of the men’s football tournament of the 11th All Africa Games holding from September 3 to 18. The invited players are: