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From Arsenal.com:



Match Report

Bergkamp Testimonial

Bergkamp Testimonial

Emirates Stadium



Saturday, July 22, 2006, 4.15pm *



Arsenal

Arsenal

2





Ajax

Ajax

1





By Richard Clarke at Emirates Stadium



It was the end of an era and the start of another.



Arsenal Football Club played their first game at their new home on Saturday but, alas, it was a farewell testimonial for Dennis Bergkamp



After 11 years, 423 games, 120 goals and millions of wonderful memories, it was time for this exceptionally talented footballer to hang up his boots. Only something massive and memorable would be good enough to rightly reflect his impact on Arsenal Football Club and fortunately this occasion fitted the bill perfectly. The ground, the atmosphere and the legendary level of the players involved were just right.



Emirates Stadium was limited to 54,000, around 6,000 below capacity, but the demand for tickets had been incredible. Specially-made T-shirts were left on the seats as they had been for the final game at Highbury so the ground was a sea of red, white and orange when the stadium was formally opened with a small ceremony 45 minutes before kick-off.



At the start of the game, the current squads of Ajax and Arsenal came out and formed a guard of honour for Bergkamp, along with his family, to walk out and wave their hello’s. The goodbyes would be for later.



Dennis’ father Wim ceremonially kicked off the match and the first few flicks were exchanged by three generations of Bergkamps with 10-year-old Mitchell playing a role.



This would be a proper game of two halves. The first 45 minutes was current Arsenal v current Ajax. The second 45 minutes would be Arsenal Legends v Ajax Legends. In truth no one would care about the result as long as Bergkamp got a goal.



The current Arsenal was shorn of the vast majority of its World Cup players. Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Pascal Cygan provided the bulk of the experience. The visitors, backed by a few thousand fans in the south-east corner of the ground, captured the early initiative.



In the ninth minute Klaas Jan Huntelaar unleashed a shot that Manuel Almunia fisted wide from the corner, Hedwiges Maduro steered a header around the post.



On the quarter-hour Arsenal got their first chance. Armand Traore had already produced a couple of thumping challenges. The left back impressed further when he got to the by-line and cut the ball back for Jeremie Aliadiere to swivel on the six-yard box and fire off a shot that Maarten Stekelenburg held high above his head.



A few minutes later Hleb’s pull-back allowed Bergkamp to go for one of his famous chips. For once it drifted just over the bar.



The game did not really match the occasion after that with neither side creating much in front of goal. Eight minutes before the break, Edgar Manucharyan found some space on the left and cross the near post where the leaping Hunterlaar volley past Mart Poom. A minute later the Estonian keeper did just enough to stop the unmarked Manucharyan adding a second.



At the break ex-Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson announced the Legends team for the second half. Ajax included Frank Rijkaard, Jan Wouters, Wim Jonk, the De Boer brothers, Edgar Davids and Edwin van der Sar in their side. Johan Cryuff was their manager. Arsenal included Thierry Henry, David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Patrick Vieira, Ian Wright, Steve Bould, Marc Overmars, Edu, Ray Parlour, Kanu and Emmanuel Petit. The stars truly had come out to honour Bergkamp.



Eight minutes in the second half, Arsenal equalised. Bergkamp fed Dixon on the right, who floated a cross to the near post as he had throughout the ‘90s at Highbury. Henry latched on to it, held off his marker and side-footed a shot past Van der Sar from close range.



Arsenal now had the upperhand. Gilles Grimandi sprayed a perfect long ball to Overmars and the little winger cut inside to thump a drive into Van der Sar’s chest.



Just past the hour, Davids burst through and flicked the ball past Seaman. All he had to do was tap the ball into the net but Grimandi raced up and brought him down. Given that the ex-Tottenham midfielder had been getting so playful stick from the crowd ever since he came on, this was a very popular move. However justice was not served when Ronald de Boer hoofed the penalty over the bar.



With 10 minutes left, the crowd was sprung two surprises. Ajax brought on two players from whom the word ‘legend’ is not good enough — Johan Cryuff and Marco van Basten.



The latter showed his class almost immediately, flicking the ball over the head of Bould at the near post and forcing a fine one-handed save out of Alex Manninger.



Ian Wright hit the sidenetting then, in the final minute, Kanu darted inside and saw his shot deflect off Jaap Stam and beat keeper Stanley Menzo at the near post for the winning goal.



All we needed now was a Bergkamp goal. It almost came with the last kick of the match but Menzo saved with his legs.



After the final whistle, Bergkamp received a special presentation from the chairman of Arsenal and the board of Ajax. He said a few words to the crowd, did a lap of honour and was lifted on to the shoulders of the Legends.



With that, and a fanfare of fireworks, Bergkamp’s career ended.



Some players elicit admiration, some provide inspiration, a precious few can do both. But this man was one of them. His cast-iron technique was forged on the youth team training ground at Ajax and his steely character developed at Inter but his best years will always belong to Arsenal.



And we were so, so lucky to have him.



Arsenal goalscorers: Henry 55, Kanu 80



Ajax goalscorers: Huntelaar 37



First-half Arsenal: Manuel Almunia, Justin Hoyte, Pascal Cygan, Matthew Connolly, Armand Traore; Alex Hleb, Alex Song, Mathieu Flamini, Ryan Smith; Dennis Bergkamp, Jeremie Aliadiere

Subs: Mart Poom, Sebastian Larsson, Nicklas Bendtner, Fabrice Muamba, Joe O’Cearuill, Mark Randall, Vincent Van den Berg, Arturo Lupoli, Anthony Stokes.



Second-half Arsenal squad: David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould, Gilles Grimandi, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Edu, Ray Parlour; Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Oleg Luzhny, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Alex Manninger, Patrick Vieira, Glenn Helder, Kanu.



First-half Ajax: Maarten Stekelenburg, Zdenek Grygera, John Heitinga, Jaap Stam, Thomas Vermaelen, Hedwiges Maduro, Kenneth Perez, Wesley Sneijder, Jan Vertonghen, Tom de Mul, Klaas Jan Huntelaar

Subs: Olaf Lindenbergh, Urby Emanuelson, George Ogararu, Ryan Babel, Edgar Manucharyan, Robbert Schilder, Markus Rosenberg.



Second-half Ajax squad: Edwin Van der Sar, Stanley Menzo, Danny Blind, Wim Jonk, Frank de Boer, Marciano Vink, Aron Winter, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Jan Wouters, Stefan Pettersson, Bryan Roy, Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten.



and From BBC's Report of the Bergkamp Testimonial :





Bergkamp given rousing farewell

Dennis Bergkamp cradles daughter Yasmin

It was a family day for Bergkamp as he said his footballing farewells

Dennis Bergkamp bowed out of football on a entertaining, celebratory opening day at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium.



A sell-out crowd revelled in seeing some of the club's greats play in a second-half Legends match against Bergkamp's first club, Dutch side Ajax.



Ian Wright, Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira and Marc Overmars were some of the names to return for the Gunners.



And 59-year-old Johan Cruyff and Holland manager Marco van Basten came on for Ajax in the last 10 minutes.



Ajax's Dutch international striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar had the honour of scoring the first goal at the 60,000 capacity stadium in a first half in which the clubs sent out a host of youngsters for a regulation pre-season run-out.



Huntelaar went close on a couple of occasions before turning in Edgar Manucharyan's low, flat cross from the left.



After the break the girths were a little wider and the legs, in some cases, a bit slower than in their heyday as a new match began between two teams of legends.



But it was Arsenal's only present day player on show who gave the hosts the lead.





It's difficult to say goodbye



Dennis Bergkamp



Thierry Henry, having chartered a private jet to fly back from a family holiday in the USA for the match, converted Lee Dixon's cross to the delight of the home fans.



And after Ronald De Boer blazed a penalty over following Gilles Grimandi's foul on Tottenham's Edgar Davids - the day's pantomime villain, Kanu's deflected shot made it two to Arsenal.



He may not have scored, despite being put through one-on-one on the right in the closing minutes, but the day was all about one man and Bergkamp was given a rousing send off.



"If I was to have a testimonial it was always going to be against Ajax and their fans have put in a lot of effort to come here," he said in an emotional speech after the final whistle when he gave thanks to one and all.



"My mum and dad were always there from the beginning and have probably seen every game.



"And my wife has been amazing over the years. You can't do a career like this alone and if it wasn't for her I would not be here.



"It's difficult to say goodbye. I've had a fantastic time over the last 11 years and a big part were the fans and how they treated me - they have been fantastic."



Bergkamp was carried shoulder high during a lap of honour by Vieira and Henry - Arsenal captains past and present.



It was applauded long and loud by the legends on the pitch as well as the crowd who have marvelled at his Arsenal displays for the last 11 years during which he has scored 120 goals in 423 games.





And look at BBC remembers Bergkamp the Footballer

One for the hypocracy watch. From The Liberal Party of Canada:



Liberal Party of Canada files complaint over CPC finances



July 21, 2006



Ottawa - The Liberal Party of Canada today sent letters to Elections Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency formally requesting investigations into the Conservative Party of Canada 2005 convention.



The two letters are as follows:



Friday, July 21, 2006



Raymond Landry



Commissioner of Canada Elections



Elections Canada



Denis Meunier



Director General, Compliance Programs Branch



Investigations Directorate



Canada Revenue Agency







Re: Improper Treatment of Delegate Fees for Conservative Party of Canada Conventions







Dear Sirs:



We wish to bring to your attention that the Conservative Party of Canada may be treating delegate registration fees to its functions improperly and in contravention of the Canada Elections Act and the Income Tax Act. We ask that you investigate what, if true, would include millions of dollars of unreported and undisclosed contributions to the Conservative Party of Canada.



Delegate Registration Fees:



We understand that the Conservative Party has not treated any portion of delegate registration fees as a contribution to the Conservative Party and, therefore, has not issued income tax receipts or receipts required under the Canada Elections Act for any portion of such delegate registration fees. Hon. John Baird, Treasury Board President, indicated publicly that this was the case with regard to the 2005 Conservative Party annual convention. This was confirmed in subsequent media reports which included statements by the Conservative Party itself. They further stated that this practice had been ongoing for some time, implying that this possible contravention has occurred numerous times.



We further understand that since the Conservative Party of Canada has not recorded any portion of the delegate registration fees as a contribution, then accordingly, they may have misstated contribution information of the Conservative Party of Canada (or its predecessor parties) in public filings as required to be made by all registered political parties.



While a delegate may receive some value in materials and services for his or her registration fee, it is highly unlikely that such value amounts to the entire delegate registration fee at the current levels of such a fee. Whether or not the function involved results in a financial surplus is irrelevant as it is the calculation of the value received by the delegate in exchange for his or her registration fee that determines whether the person paying the delegate registration fee has made a contribution to the Conservative Party of Canada and, if so, the amount of such contribution. In not issuing a receipt for the amount of the delegate registration fee that is a contribution to the Conservative Party of Canada there may have been what I am certain you will agree is an egregious violation of the Canada Elections Act.



Possible Excess Contributions:



Further, as the Conservative Party of Canada did not issue receipts for the contribution portion of delegate or observer registration fees it could not track the total contributions of an individual delegate or observer in the year during which the function was held to ensure that total did not exceed the maximum contribution allowed pursuant to the Canada Elections Act. Accordingly, it is quite possible that a person who paid delegate or observer registration fees exceeded the allowable contribution limits under the Canada Elections Act.



We would, therefore, ask you to investigate the refusal of the Conservative Party of Canada to recognize contributions by persons who paid delegate and observer registration fees, issue receipts to such persons and treat such payments as contributions.



Yours very truly,















Steven MacKinnon



National Director



--------------------



Friday, July 21, 2006



Raymond Landry



Commissioner of Canada Elections



Elections Canada



Denis Meunier



Director General, Compliance Programs Branch



Investigations Directorate



Canada Revenue Agency







Re: Improper Treatment of Observer Registration Fees for Conservative Party of Canada Conventions







Dear Sirs:



We wish to bring to your attention that the Conservative Party of Canada may be treating observer registration fees to its conventions improperly and in contravention of the Canada Elections Act and possibly, the Income Tax Act. Specifically, we believe that the Conservative Party of Canada may have accepted prohibited contributions from corporations and/or associations.



Observer Registration Fees:



The situation with regard to observer registration fees is the same as for delegate registration fees, referred to in a letter sent to you today under separate cover. Some portion of the observer registration fee must, we believe, be considered a contribution to the Conservative Party of Canada and should have been shown in a receipt issued by the Conservative Party of Canada and included as a contribution in financial returns made by the Conservative Party of Canada.



We further understand that some observer registration fees paid to the Conservative Party of Canada were paid by corporations. If that is correct, such corporations have made a contribution to the Conservative Party of Canada in the amount of the observer registration fee that is in excess of the value received by the observer attending the function. Such a corporate contribution to the Conservative Party of Canada is prohibited by the Canada Elections Act. However, the Conservative Party of Canada specifically invited such contributions in its convention registration literature.



I would therefore ask you to investigate whether the Conservative Party of Canada received prohibited contributions from corporations and/or associations who paid observer registration fees.



Yours very truly,















Steven MacKinnon



National Director





Harper's mantra is that the Liberals do not believe in accountability. Pious Hypocrits. Harper is the one who appoints a Senator from Montreal in the cabinet before being called to the Senate. We will not forget!

FRom The Liberal Party of Canada:



Conservatives Ignored Pending Crisis in the Middle East



July 20, 2006



Ottawa – The bungled Lebanese evacuation is a direct result of the Conservative government’s desire to keep warnings of a pending crisis in the Middle East under wraps, Liberal Consular Affairs Critic Dan McTeague said today.



“The Harper government has once again put politics ahead of policy and the people of this country. By ignoring warnings of the pending crisis for political reasons, the government lost a valuable window of opportunity to evacuate Canadians in a timely fashion. This inept interference and ensuing delays have resulted in a badly botched evacuation that has failed Canadians and left them to endure difficult circumstances and unnecessary threats to their safety,” said Mr. McTeague.



According to media reports, Foreign Affairs staff realized an emergency was brewing in the region last week that would affect tens of thousands of Canadians, but an edict handed down from the Prime Minister’s office ordered the situation be kept confidential.



Since the crisis broke, eight Canadians in Lebanon have been killed in the conflict. There have been widespread reports of confusion and inaction at the Canadian embassy and delays in arranging ships to carry people to safety.



Only one of seven chartered vessels managed to collect any Canadians on Wednesday, and only 261 of about 2,000 Canadians who were supposed to have been evacuated in the first wave actually made it out.



Officials in the region attribute the catastrophic delays to the Prime Minister’s centralized command and communications policies dictating all decisions be routed through Ottawa – a practice both impractical and painfully slow due to the six time zones between locations.



“While other countries were already evacuating their citizens on Sunday, the Conservative government spent two days discussing the matter before any calls were made – this inaction is unacceptable, and Canadians still stranded in Lebanon are paying the price,” said Mr. McTeague.



And again from The Liberal Party of Canada :



Liberals Call For A More Balanced Approach from Canada



July 18, 2006



Prime Minister Stephen Harper must move away from his hard-line position on the Middle East crisis in favor of one which enables Canada to maintain its historic role as a bridge builder in the region, Liberal Leader Bill Graham said today.



“We're very concerned about Mr. Harper's change in Canada’s traditional position of working with all sides in the Middle East for long-term peace by being able to work with all sides of the conflict to bring them together and in a dialogue,” Mr. Graham said. “Canada has always been able to act as an intermediary, but we can only serve in that capacity if both our comportment and our actions enable us to play that role.”



Mr. Graham urged Prime Minister Harper to look to the G-8 communique as a starting point for a balanced approach to help all parties in the region come together.



“Israelis have always thanked us for the moderating role we have been able to play,” he said. “Therefore I urge the government not to take actions which will eliminate the possibility to build peaceful coalitions.”



Mr. Graham explained that the government has a responsibility to take into account the larger geopolitical issues in the Middle East when establishing Canadian foreign policy.



“What is presently taking place in Lebanon is destabilizing the possibility of a democratic government there and I think Canada should be expressing a greater concern about that element if, in fact, we want to be able to help Israel and help the region return to peace,” he said.“We will not be able to be helpful in the long run to Israel or to anyone else in the region if we do not recognize the complexity of the factors at play here. “Mr. Harper has to get a better hold on what Canada is trying to achieve.”



Mr. Graham also echoed the concerns of many Canadians that the government has been too slow in evacuating the thousands of Canadian citizens stranded in Lebanon.



Mr. Graham pointed to the fact that Great Britain, France and the United States have already begun the evacuation process, while Foreign Affairs Minister Peter McKay stated Canadians would not be able to begin exiting Lebanon until mid-week.



“Our officials at Foreign Affairs work around the clock and are dedicated to help people exit the region, but they have to be given the given the facilities and the capacity to act,” he said. “Other countries have moved more quickly to get that capacity. I don’t see why it would be any more difficult for us than for them.”



Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay told reporters yesterday that Canada has been working on an evacuation plan for Canadians in Lebanon for "close to a week," but has kept the planning secret for security reasons.



But for many Canadians in Lebanon, one of the few sources of information is relatives back in Canada.



Many Lebanese-Canadians have expressed frustration that the government chose not to take advantage of these unofficial lines of communications and make details of their plan for evacuating Canadians available to the public as soon as possible.



Liberal Consular Affairs Critic Dan McTeague agreed with this criticism.



“It is unacceptable and a dereliction of responsibility for Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay to talk about an evacuation only after eight Canadians had been killed,” he said.



As Liberals, we are disappointed with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to depart from Canada’s traditional role of peace broker and follow U.S. President Bush’s Mideast policy prior to the release of the joint statement by G-8 leaders. But right now Canada’s number one job should be to ensure the safety of Canadians by getting them home as quickly as possible.



Peace can only be obtained on the foundation of respect for the security, well-being and legitimacy of the states and peoples of Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. We must all continue to work toward an end to any government sanctioned incitement to hatred and violence, and the condemnation of terrorism from whatever quarter for whatever purpose.



Harper's Policies on Foreign affairs should be Canadian Unique NOT USA scripted. He will

find a major Multicultural rebelion on his hands.