8/31/2006
the-afc.com

SINGAPORE: Iran moved into top gear for the AFC U-17 Championship with convincing victories in two warm-up games here recently.
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8/31/2006
SEOUL, Reuters

Coach Pim Verbeek included South Korea's three English Premier League representatives in his 25-man squad for Saturday's Asian Cup qualifier against Iran in Seoul, but there was no place for striker Ahn Jung-hwan.
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Thursday August 31, 2006
Paul Doyle, Guardian Unlimited

Pair on way to Upton Park after rejecting number of elite clubs

In one of the most surprising transfer deals ever sealed in English football, West Ham have signed coveted Argentina stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano – beating off competition from Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and AC Milan. And Portsmouth.
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8/30/2006
Kaveh Mahjoob, goal.com

The tired, injured and broken caravan of the Iranian national team is on a nine days journey traveling to the east of Asia, Korea. Then the group will take a detoured version of the “Silk Road” traveling to Syria for another match. In these two games, the Iranian national team will face two crucial Asian Cup qualifying matches on the road against South Korea and Syria. As it relates to Team Melli against Korea, on paper, every factor speaks of an immanent defeat.
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8/30/2006
Gordon Sharrock, This is Lancashire

SAM Allardyce secured the signature of one World Cup star last night and immediately stepped up his efforts to sign another.

Iran international midfielder, Andranik Teimourian, signed a two-year contract with the Whites after being granted a work permit at an appeals tribunal in Sheffield.
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8/30/2006
John Duerden, The Korea Herald

After two spells as No. 3 Afshin Ghotbi has returned for a third term in South Korea. This time however, he is the second-in-command behind new head coach Pim Verbeek.

The faces may be familiar but the situation is not. There is no longer a World Cup on the horizon but rather a chance to build a team from scratch, to lay the foundations of a healthy national set-up.
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8/30/2006
Reuters

BERLIN – Peter Neururer of Hanover 96 became the first coaching casualty of the Bundesliga season on Wednesday, just three matches into the campaign.
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8/30/2006
Reuters

BERLIN – Hamburg SV are close to finalising a deal for Villarreal's Argentine defender Juan Pablo Sorin, according to German media reports.
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August 29, 2006
AFP

ROME – Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon has slammed FIFA for the two-match ban they gave Marco Materazzi for his role in the dismissal of Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final.

Buffon's international team-mate was handed the suspension by football's world governing body for provoking Zidane, who reacted by headbutting the uncompromising Inter Milan defender in the chest.
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8/30/2006

LONDON (Reuters) – Iran's defensive midfielder Andranik Teimourian has signed a two-year deal with Bolton Wanderers, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old, who has joined Bolton from Iran's Pro League team Abu Moslem after being granted a work permit, played in all three of his country's World Cup games and has 11 caps.
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