Menezes set to coach Brazil after Ramalho blocked

The Brazilian football federation has invited Corinthians' Mano Menezes to coach the national team after Muricy Ramalho could not accept the job due to his contract with Fluminense.

The federation said Menezes will announce his decision on Saturday.

Federation president Ricardo Teixeira said late Friday that Menezes fits into the plan to immediately revamp the national team.

"What determined the choice was the understanding that an immediate renovation is needed in the Brazilian national team," Teixeira said in a statement on the federation's website.

Teixeira said Menezes would kickstart the project on Monday by summoning the Brazilian squad for the Aug. 10 friendly against the United States in New Jersey.

The Brazilian federation said Menezes was in a list of three coaches the federation put together while in South Africa following Brazil's disappointing elimination to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, and fits perfectly into the federation's project to revamp the national team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Menezes is set to replace Dunga, who was fired just days after the 2-1 loss to the Dutch.

"The most important thing in our selection was the common sense of the need of a philosophy of renovation," Teixeira said. "I have absolute confidence that this will be successfully done, culminating in 2014."

Menezes will have the difficult task of leading the team in the tournament which will take place in Brazil for the first time since 1950 and will add unprecedented expectations among fans in the football-crazy nation.

"The final goal is the 2014 World Cup," Teixeira said.

Brazil failed to get past the quarterfinals of the past two World Cups.

The federation said in its statement that Menezes earned respect for his work at Brazilian clubs Gremio and Corinthians, with a trajectory marked by balance and a desire to promote young talents.

Menezes led Corinthians to the Brazilian Cup title last year after helping the club return to the first division following relegation in 2007. He had also helped Gremio move back to the first division in 2005, and in 2007 he led the team to a runner-up finish in the Copa Libertadores, Latin America's top club competition.

Three-time Brazilian champion Ramalho told the federation he rejected the offer because Fluminense did not allow him to break his contract, which had just been extended until the end of 2012.

Teixeira said Ramalho told him he wanted to coach the national team, but Fluminense club directors blocked the move.

"Coach Muricy will continue with the club honoring his contract," Fluminense president Roberto Horcades said at a news conference.

Ramalho's initial contract with Fluminense would have ended later this year, but Horcades said both parts had already agreed to extend it until the end of 2012.

Ramalho had long said his ultimate goal is to coach Brazil, and before talking with Fluminense directors he had hinted he would accept the federation's offer.

"Who wouldn't want to coach the Brazilian national team?" he told ESPN Brasil's website.

Even Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had already commented on the man he thought was the new national team coach, saying he was "a good choice."

Other names touted for the position included World Cup winner Luiz Felipe Scolari and former Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

Scolari led Brazil to the World Cup title in 2002 and is the favorite for fans, but he just signed a two-year contract to coach four-time Brazilian champion Palmeiras and hinted he would not be available to the national team until 2012.

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Turkey soccer coach Fatih Terim delays visit to Indonesia

Turkey soccer coach Fatih Terim has decided to delay his visit to Indonesia after one of his family members fell sick.

“He just contacted us that he will delay his visit to Indonesia,” Deputy State Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Djohar Arifin Husein said as quoted by Antara news agency on Sunday.

He added that Terim was scheduled to visit Indonesia for five days as the country was desperately seeking a great coach to improve the national team performance.

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Unilever Kenya Customer Finance Analyst Job Vacancy

To provide financial support/evaluation on trade investments and ensure the planned activities will generate a return to the business and support win with winning customers agenda by preparing customer profitability statements.

Key responsibilities
Prepare Customer Profitability statements/reports.
Appraise return on trade investment proposals.
Check and pass for approval Customer rebates/Credit notes in line with trade terms policy and budget.
Execute Customer Finance month end processes in area of responsibility.
Coordinate return on investments for the 7 East and Southern Africa units.
Qualifications
Qualified Accountant with 2-3 years experience in an FMCG.
Person with strong interpersonal skills.
Good Analytical and problem solving skills
Experience in a wall to wall ERP system like fourth shift or SAP.
Prior Exposure to customer-finance related field is an advantage but not mandatory.
Location - Unilever Kenya Limited

The deadline for submission is Wednesday 20th October 2010

Log on to www.unilever-esa.com to register your CV, and apply for these positions.

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Carlos Checa set for MotoGP return?

Carlos Checa looks increasingly likely to return to the MotoGP ranks before the 2010 season is out as rumours grow that he is being lined up to replace Mika Kallio at Pramac Ducati.

Speculation began circulating at Sepang that Checa, whose reputation in the Ducati ranks has soared on the back of his outstanding World Superbike campaign with Althea Racing, would take over from Kallio for the final two events at Estoril and Valencia.

While both parties have remained coy on the subject, rumours have spiked after Checa posted a video on Twitter of him testing the official Ducati GP10 machine at Mugello.

It is thought Checa, whose WSBK season is over, would be drafted in to replace the out-of-favour Kallio, who sits at the bottom of the MotoGP leaderboard for full-time riders and has finished at the back during the last three races.

The Spaniard, who has 220 grand prix starts to his name, would be an ideal replacement for Kallio, bringing necessary experience to a Pramac team that has persevered with two fairly novice riders in 2010.

The move, however, would not be a precursor to a potential MotoGP return for the 37-year-old as he has already committed to a two-year deal with Althea Ducati in World Superbikes.

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Casey Stoner unconcerned by Sepang spill

Casey Stoner is refusing to dwell on the first lap accident that ruled him out of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang as he looks to make it four consecutive wins on home soil at Phillip Island.

Stoner was chasing a third straight victory at Sepang but wouldn't complete the opening revolution, an error that has once again opened up the fight for third in the standings between himself, Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso.

Nonetheless, having won at Aragon and Motegi before that, Stoner is merely pleased to have found a breakthrough with the Ducati GP10, which coupled to his excellent Australian Grand Prix record, gives him optimism of further success this weekend.

"Three races ago this race wasn't looking good for us because the bike wasn't working in the areas that you need it to work at Phillip Island,” he said. “But, during the last three races we have made improvements, so we come into this weekend looking pretty good.

“It's good sometimes to race in the cooler conditions we get at Phillip Island, but the best thing about this track is definitely the fast corners!"

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Stoner had a 'dossier of employees'

News circulating from the disgruntled Ducati camp is that their Antipodion griper Casey Stoner had asked for a 'dossier of employees' so that he could build up a case to why he hated each and every one them.

"He's taken personal complaining to a whole new stratosphere' admitted one greasy Ducati member "Stoner asked for personal details on all our backgrounds so he could single out how and why we'd each want him to fail. He needn't have bothered though as we all hate him for the exact same the reason - he's a whiney little weasel-faced ship-jumper."

So far this season Casey has managed to blame every single member of the Ducati team for his failures claiming that they weren't trying hard enough to make him look great. Stoner's crowning achievement came at Brno when he completed his blame-a-thon by claiming that Paolo, the man Ducati sporadically hire to de-crust the inside of the staff toilets, had a funny limp* that put him off and cased the front end of his bike to continually wash out.

Since completing his quest to blame all members of Ducati the Australian complainer has been forced look further a field for his performance accusations. Not only has he blamed every MotoGP rider for riding too hard and fast but has also accused the sun of being too bright and causing his unsightly facial mole to itch and Hephaestus, the crippled god of fire, of having an off-putting name that's too hard to spell.

"We won't be too sorry to see the moaning little bastard go" concluded out mystery oil-baked employee "I just can't wait to hear him sulk that Japanese HRC team have 'off putting eyes'. That should go down brilliantly."

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Rossi: “One of the best races of my career”

Valentino Rossi’s second victory of the season came on a track at which the Italian has enjoyed great success in the past when he won at Sepang on Sunday, and the result will go down as one of the 31 year-old’s great displays.

Rossi could do little to stop Jorge Lorenzo from taking the 2010 title but with victory achieved his 46th win with Yamaha, recovering from a second-row start which had seen him drop to 11th on the opening lap to mount a stirring comeback.

“I want to say congratulations to Yamaha and to Jorge; he has been fast all season, at all tracks and in all conditions and he deserves to be the World Champion,” said Rossi, who went on to discuss his own result.

"This is a wonderful moment for me, I am so happy to win like this and take my 46th win with Yamaha on ‘my' M1,” added the Italian, who has now won at Sepang six times in the premier class – four of those with Yamaha.

Reviewing his phenomenal climb through the order, Rossi continued: “It was one of my worst starts and for a moment I was really worried, but within a few corners I understood that I could go for it, because my bike felt great today thanks to a small change we made in warm-up. Jeremy's (Burgess, chief mechanic) idea really worked!”

“I rode so well and it was a fantastic race, one of the best of my career I think. I wanted this 46th win so much because as everyone knows it's a special number for me! Thanks to my team because everyone worked so hard this weekend and I think this is a great repayment for everyone. To win like this, from 11th at the first corner, is a great feeling.”

With the result Rossi moved into third in the Championship standings, where he now lies 47 points off second-placed Dani Pedrosa with three rounds remaining.

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