Germany coach Joachim Low has said that he could not walk away from the challenge of transforming his young side from FIFA World Cup™ semi-finalists to European champions.

The 50-year-old today ended speculation over his future by announcing he has extended his contract until after UEFA EURO 2012. Low’s previous deal expired after the World Cup, but the team’s impressive display in South Africa – where they reached the last four before losing to eventual winners Spain – led to a public clamour for it to be extended.

Team manager Oliver Bierhoff, Low’s assistant Hans-Dieter Flick and goalkeeping coach Andreas Kopke have also agreed two-year extensions to their contracts, meaning the quartet will remain in their posts until after the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Low said: “We are all pleased that we can continue our work with the national team.

“Our team has excellent sporting prospects and it is a big challenge for us to be able to get stuck into the preparations for EURO 2012 after the successful World Cup in South Africa. Thanks to the excellent work the Bundesliga clubs do with young players and to the youth teams of the DFB, we are convinced that the national team can further enhance their international standing through modern and attractive football.”

The Germans won widespread praise for their counter-attacking football in South Africa, sweeping aside England 4-1 in the last 16 and Argentina 4-0 in the quarter-finals. Their young stars were among the most impressive players at the tournament, with Werder Bremen’s Mesut Ozil and Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller – who landed the adidas Golden Boot and Hyundai Best Young Player award – in particular catching the eye.

Low added: “In order to be able to achieve our main goals in the near future, we need the continued hard and consistent work from everyone. Therefore, continuing to work closely with sporting director Matthias Sammer is very important to me.”

Contract talks were earlier this year put on ice until after the FIFA World Cup following a row between Low and the German Football Association (DFB). And DFB president Dr Theo Zwanziger was delighted to have finally got the issue sorted. “I am pleased for German football that we have managed to successfully solve the most important personnel decisions regarding the nation team so quickly and in such a friendly manner,” he said.

Bierhoff has handed over responsibility for looking after the administration of the Germany U-21 team to Sammer. The former striker said: “Working together in a team as part of the national side has provided a huge amount of pleasure in the past years. Together we have made important progress, achieved considerable success and done a lot for the image of German football. Everyone has forgotten the arguments of the past months, we will head unencumbered into the next phase of working together.”

Germany captain Michael Ballack, who missed the World Cup through injury, added: “I am pleased that the whole team is continuing. Together they have done excellent work. The team trusts Joachim Low.”

Germany’s next game is against Denmark in Copenhagen on 11 August.

AC Milan will never transfer Brazilian forward Ronaldinho, declared club owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday.

“Ronaldinho is not transferable and we’re all in agreement that he will remain at Milan as long as he continues to play,” said Berlusconi during a press conference. “I’ve not spoken to him recently, but it is certain that we will be renewing his contract and that he’ll stay [at Milan] as long as he continues to play. I consider him the best player of all time.”

Ronaldinho won the Ballon d’Or (European Footballer of the Year award) in 2005 and was at the peak of his powers a year later when his dazzling skills inspired Barcelona to a league and Champions League double. He experienced a downturn in form thereafter, however, and joined Milan in July 2008 for a fee in the region of 18.5 million euros. The 30-year-old has not yet hit the heights he reached in Catalonia during his time in Italy, although he appeared close to his best in the early months of last season, when Milan finished third in Serie A.

He has recently been linked with a return to his native Brazil in the colours of Flamengo, having been left out of the Brazil squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, but Berlusconi dismissed the rumours. “He’s the biggest attraction at AC Milan. He’s worth the ticket price alone,” said the Italian PM. “He’s worth 10 times the amount attributed to him in the papers recently.”

Milan also announced the signing of Greek international centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos on Tuesday. The 22-year-old, who played at the World Cup, joined from Genoa for a reported fee of 4.5-million euros and has signed a five-year contract worth around 1.3-million euros a year. Genoa acquired joint ownership of three Milan players, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Rodney Strasser and Gianmarco Zigoni, as part of the deal. Papastathopoulos becomes the first player to arrive at the San Siro since former Cagliari coach Massimiliano Allegri was named Milan manager.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola wants to remain at the Nou Camp for the long-term, despite insisting on only signing a one-year contract at the club.

Guardiola, who has won seven trophies in his first two years as Barça coach, signed a new deal last week which runs until next June.

“I’m very happy to continue for one more year,” he said at a press conference on Monday. “I want to keep on doing my job well and make people proud of us.”

And Guardiola revealed his reasons for signing a short-term deal instead of the six-year contract offered to him by Rosell.

“I feel more comfortable with one-year contracts. I am grateful to the confidence shown in me by the new Board in offering me a six-year contract, but I prefer working with short contracts, it’s something personal,” he said.

“I need to feel that things are working and that what I am doing is right, but if everything is going well and I feel strong, I will carry on next year. I don’t see any change, but if after this first year the feedback with the players, the feedback is not good or the results aren’t good, I won’t stay on.”

Meanwhile, Guardiola has reiterated his desire to sign Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, but says the final decision rests with the Gunners.

Barcelona have already signed Spain striker David Villa this summer and also brought in versatile Sevilla defender Adriano this week, but their pursuit of Fabregas has lasted for months and Arsenal appear unwilling to do business. “I think bringing in Cesc will cost a lot,” Guardiola said at a press conference on Monday.

And the coach was pessimistic about his club’s chances of signing the midfielder. “We want him to come, but if Arsenal don’t want to negotiate, he won’t come.”

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri is delighted to have Edinson Cavani among his players.

Cavani completed his move from Palermo on Saturday, with the Azzurri shelling out a fee in the region of €12million.

The Uruguay striker has penned a five-year contract and Mazzarri believes he will bring a lot to the team.

“He’s a young talent, gifted, with enormous feeling for the goal,” he said. “He’s capable of playing for the team, to get it going and to finish all the work that has been done.

“I am very happy he has joined us. I think the club has done a very good job in signing Cavani considering it’s a difficult transfer market.”

Cavani moved to Palermo from Danubio in January 2007.

He scored 13 goals in 34 appearances for the Sicilians last season, and had an impressive FIFA World Cup™ as he helped his side to a fourth-place finish.

The agreement ensures the Austria midfielder will play Bundesliga football in the upcoming campaign after being relegated with Bochum last term.

“Christian Fuchs has already been proving his quality for several years,” said Mainz general manager Christian Heidel on the Bundesliga club’s website.

“For a 24-year-old, almost 200 top-flight games is an impressive tally. Furthermore, he is just the kind of player we want wide on the left as he is an aggressive, courageous left-footer.”

Liverpool have signed former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole on a free transfer.

The 28-year-old England international left Stamford Bridge at the end of last season after failing to agree a new contract with the club and has agreed personal terms on a four-year deal at Anfield.

The England midfielder will undergo a medical in the next 48 hours. Cole was linked with a number of Barclays Premier League sides, including Arsenal and Tottenham, but has opted to move to Merseyside.

He could have gone to a team offering UEFA Champions League football but has chosen to join new Reds boss Roy Hodgson at Anfield even though they can only offer the Europa League this season.

The capture of Cole was seen as being a key factor in proving to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, who have both been linked with departures after a disappointing seventh-placed finish in Rafael Benitez’s final season in charge, that Liverpool can still compete for quality signings.

Cole is the second summer arrival at Liverpool after Serbia forward Milan Jovanovic joined following the expiration of his contract with Standard Liege.

Cole will be seen as a direct replacement for Yossi Benayoun, who coincidentally moved to Chelsea for £5.5million earlier this month, and only time will tell who got the better of that exchange.

Hodgson is still on the look-out for a new left-back with Fabio Aurelio having left and Emiliano Insua on the verge of completing his move to Fiorentina.

After that the Liverpool boss will hope to secure commitments from Gerrard and Torres about their futures.

Despite the disappointment of not having any representatives in the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, South America is already focusing on the future. Both Brazil and Colombia have already been in action at the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup Germany 2010 and the new FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking was published on Wednesday, with some encouraging progress being made by a clutch of CONMEBOL teams. Add to that the resumption of the 2010 Copa Libertadores de America and the fast-approaching return of the domestic league season, and there is more than enough to keep the continent’s football fans occupied.

A new cycle begins
With South Africa 2010 having just come to a close, all eyes are now on the intensive preparations for the forthcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. Taking up the baton from the Rainbow Nation, O País Pentacampeão has already begun the long journey towards what they hope will be their sixth world title and thereby erase memories of their failed challenge on home soil in 1950. If the recent presentation of the Official Emblem in Johannesburg is anything to go by, Brazil will be putting on quite a show.

A Seleção’s quarter-final exit in South Africa caused them to drop two places in the latest FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking, although the other four South American sides on duty at the world finals all fared much better. Argentina jumped up to fifth, Uruguay to sixth, Chile to tenth and Paraguay to 15th, progress that augurs well for next year’s Copa America.

Transfer time
On the club scene Argentinian giants River Plate and Boca Juniors have been busy strengthening their squads in a bid to improve on last season’s unsatisfactory showings. Los Xeneizes have brought in Claudio Borghi, the man who coached Argentinos Juniors to the 2010 Clausura title, while Los Millonarios have snapped up a host of new players including goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, who returns home from Lazio. Elsewhere Racing Club have bolstered their line-up with the acquisition of Colombian attacking midfielder Giovanni Moreno from Atletico Nacional.

Over in Brazil, Palmeiras went to great lengths to bring in coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and Kleber, while Internacional have welcomed back front man Rafael Sobis and goalkeeper Renan, two of the club’s biggest idols. Domestic rivals Atletico Mineiro have signed midfielder Diego Souza, with Santos recruiting Kierrison.

For their part, Flamengo will be without big name duo Adriano and Vagner Love, the pair beginning respective new challenges at Roma and CSKA Moscow, while Colombian attacking midfielder James Rodriguez has left Argentina’s Banfield to join Porto.

Clubs back on duty
The 2010 Brasileirao resumed on Wednesday, with matchday eight featuring an intriguing top-two meeting between leaders Corinthians and season revelations Ceara, who collected 17 points in their first seven games. The 0-0 result left both teams three points clear of Fluminense. Over the last month no fewer than seven coaches have taken up new posts in the championship, which was won last time out by Flamengo.

Phase two of the Ecuadorian league season is already under way, while San Jose and Oriente Petrolero are going head-to-head in the Bolivian championship final. Wednesday’s first leg ended 2-0, with the return leg taking place next weekend. In Peru San Martin are on top after 23 games, while further north the Copa Colombia is currently at the group phase.

The odd men out are Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay, where the league seasons will kick off in the next few weeks.

Flying the flag overseas
On the international front Brazil and Colombia are both in action at the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup Germany 2010, which began on Tuesday. As well as keeping tabs on their progress, fans are also expectant at the renewal of hostilities in the 51st Copa Libertadores de America, which broke off for over a month for South Africa 2010.

The continent’s premier club competition will shortly resume at the semi-final stage. Brazilian rivals Sao Paulo and Internacional face off in one half, while Universidad de Chile and Guadalajara will continue their bids for a maiden title in the other. The reward for the new champions, who will succeed Argentina’s Estudiantes, is a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010, their brief being to restore South American prestige after three consecutive triumphs for European sides.

However, Beckham was invited along to South Africa as part of Fabio Capello’s backroom staff and sat on the bench for what turned out to be a wretched campaign, which ended with 4-1 defeat by Germany in the Round of 16. It has been suggested the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player could take charge of the national side in future, but the free-kick specialist is not interested in such talk at this stage in his career and cannot foresee that changing down the line.

“I must admit it’s something I’ve never been interested in,” he said in a webchat with Yahoo. “It’s not a passion of mine to be a manager of a football team. I’m passionate about the game and being there, and obviously I was wearing the suit, so people have looked and thought I could be going into that.”

“I spoke to James (Milner), Shaun (Wright-Phillips), Aaron (Lennon)… all the right-sided players. I spoke to all the players. If there’s anything that needed saying from the manager of the players, that was kind of my role. I enjoyed that but, coaching-wise, I love coaching kids – that’s one of the reasons I have my academies – the children, I love seeing their faces when they’re kicking the ball around.

“I love the enthusiasm, the honesty – that’s one of the things I love doing. But coaching a team, being a manager, at this point in my career I don’t want to do that and in the future I don’t think that will happen either.”

As for his personal fitness, Beckham indicated in late April he may not play again until November, sparking fears he may miss the entire Major League Soccer season, which is due to end on the 21st of that month. However, he was seen kicking a ball in South Africa and admitted: “I was told off for that!”

Beckham is now aiming to be back in action by the start of September. “When I had the surgery, the surgeon gave me a schedule,” he explained. “I’ve got a week now before it’s four months and then I’m allowed to run, but I’ve been running for the last ten days. I’m ahead of schedule, it’s going well. I should be back in a month and a half.”

Becks blames players, not Capello
Meanwhile, Beckham has laid the blame for England’s dismal World Cup campaign squarely at the door of the players. “He (Capello) did everything that he could have done,” said the midfielder. “He prepared us right. He worked the players to the right amount and he set everything up for the players, but obviously the players know it was disappointing.

“We didn’t perform and as players you know that – you know when you don’t perform, you know when you don’t play well. The manager can do so much and then it’s down to the players. The players go on to the pitch and they know if they don’t perform, they don’t win games.

“The players are honest about that but it’s not about individuals, it’s not about how individuals play – it’s about how we played as a team. It’s a cliche but you win as a team and you lose as a team. You have to take the good days and enjoy those, and the bad days you learn from and the team will do that because we’ve got a lot of young players.”

Beckham also revealed his goal of representing Britain at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012 – by which time he will be 37. “If I’m still playing and I’m still considered to make a difference to the team, I’d love to, but if not then I’m definitely going to be there anyway,” he said.

“It’s the east end of London – it’s on my manor. To be part of getting the Olympics to the east end of London… it’s one of the best experiences that I’ve ever experienced.”

New York Red Bulls have signed Thierry Henry from Barcelona on a “multi-year contract”, the Major League Soccer club have confirmed.

The 32-year-old former Arsenal captain moved to the Camp Nou in 2007 and had one year remaining on his Barça contract, but the club agreed last month that he could leave. “Red Bull New York announced today that it has signed star French forward Thierry Henry to a multi-year contract as its second designated player,” the club said today in a statement on their website.

He is expected to make his debut on 22 July against Tottenham Hotspur at Red Bull Arena. The statement continued: “Henry, a World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winner, will be available for selection for New York pending receipt of his international transfer certificate and after the July 15 international transfer window.

“His debut for the Red Bulls is expected to be on July 22 against English Premiership club, Tottenham Hotspur, in the Barclays New York Challenge at Red Bull Arena.”

Henry will be introduced at a press conference tomorrow at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey at 1315 local time (1815 BST). The Frenchman is relishing the challenge ahead.

“This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life,” said Henry. “It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls. I am fully aware of the team’s history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship.

“Knowing Red Bull’s significant commitment to soccer locally and internationally, I am confident that my team-mates and I will succeed.”

Alexis Sanchez will not leave Udinese this summer despite reported interest from Manchester United and Roma, according to the club’s president.

The winger has been linked to several leading European clubs this summer after a good performance for Chile at the FIFA World Cup™. However, Udinese have no intention of selling the 21-year-old star, who is currently on holiday.

“Alexis will return to Udine and will remain here,” Udinese president Giampaolo Pozzo told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Next season will be the year of his consecration. Perhaps he will play as a playmaker in order to be closer to goal.”

The South American player scored five goals in 32 Serie A appearances for Udinese last season. The 21-year-old joined the Friuli club in the summer of 2008 from River Plate and is under contract for another four years.