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LONDON - New York City FC acknowledged on Friday that it misled fans by wrongly announcing the signing of Frank Lampard last year when he never had a playing contract for the Major League Soccer expansion team.After Lampards release from Chelsea, NYCFC announced in July that he had signed a two-year contract which starts August 1st and paraded him around Manhattan.In fact, hed only agreed to a commitment to play for NYCFC on a two-year contract from January 2015, the player and City Football Group said on Friday.The uncertainty over the midfielders status emerged only after his surprise switch to partner club Manchester City, which was initially wrongly described in August as a loan from New York, was said on Dec. 31 to have been extended until the end of the European season.But English Premier League rules state that Lampards contract had to run until June 30. After the Premier League looked into the issue again on Friday, it was further clarified that Lampards deal had always been for the whole season, but with a Dec. 31 break clause that could have enabled him to return to NYCFC for the MLS season.Both teams are part of City Football Group (CFG), the umbrella company for the portfolio of clubs owned by Abu Dhabis Sheikh Mansour.CFG acknowledges that Lampards only playing contract is with the Premier League champion, with the midfielders MLS career not now due to start until midway through the season in July.CFG told The Associated Press that the NYCFC announcement last July was a genuine error which throws everything into confusion (for media and fans). It wasnt a contract. Its an agreement with City Football Group with intention to play for NYCFC.Lampards move to Manchester City was remarkable because only days earlier last summer he said the MLS move was because he did not want to play for another Premier League team after 13 years at Chelsea.When released from Chelsea last year at the end of my contract I signed a commitment to play in NYCFC for two years starting January 1st 2015, the former England international said in Fridays statement.I was then offered the chance to train and be part of the Man City squad in the interim to keep myself in the best shape going into New York. This period has since been extended by Man City and I now will start playing for NYCFC at the end of this current Premier League season.Despite City Football Group acknowledging its mistake after a week of silence on the issue following inquiries from the AP, Lampard said he had read a lot of lies and nonsense over the last few days.There has always been a constant dialogue between all parties in this time to find the best solution for everyone, Lampard said. I can say that I am very excited about arriving in New York.NYCFC supporters group, The Third Rail, said it was outraged by Lampards prolonged stay in England because Julys misleading signing announcement was accompanied by a push to sell season tickets and the players jerseys.___Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris Golden State Warriors Jerseys . 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Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season.SURREY, B.C. -- B.C. Lions general manager Wally Buono says hes not finished looking for possible roster revisions following the acquisition of veteran quarterback Buck Pierce. "Are we gonna stop (trying) to improve ourselves? No," Buono said Monday. "We are looking at bringing in other players." Traditionally, CFL clubs look at final NFL cuts at this time of year to mainly build for future seasons. But while rendering a blunt assessment of his club, Buono indicated the Lions could bring in talent for the current campaign. "There are going to be players available that can help you to better yourself," he said. "Whether you better youself in one or two positions, the whole idea is to better yourself." The Lions acquired Pierce, who spent his first five CFL seasons with B.C., from Winnipeg on Sunday for non-import receiver Akeem Foster. Buono and coach Mike Benevides stressed that Pierce, whose history with concussions led to his release from B.C. in 2010, was acquired strictly for depth purposes. But Buono hopes that, through his experience and leadership, Pierce will help the Lions stop their inconsistent play. "There should be an urgency," said Buono. "Theres eight games left in the season, and weve been on a very rhythmic kind of procedure -- one good game, one so-so game, one good game, one so-so game. Thats not the way we envisioned (the season). Whether this is sending a message or not, I guess the message I want to send is: We need help, and Buck can help us." The Lions, 6-4 following a loss to Hamilton in Guelph, Ont., over the weekend, are in danger of having to play away from B.C. Place Stadium in the playoffs. "Hamilton came here (the previous week), didnt win, they went home and they had an attitude," said Buono. "We came back after a Montreal loss with an attitude. You cant pick and choose when youre gonna play with an attitude. Right now, our club is picking and choosing when were playing with an attitude, and thats a dangerous thing to do. "All the clubs are tough, all the clubs are competitive, and its the attitude that gets you over the hump." More consistency was expected from a veteran-laden club that finished 13-5 last season and was left seething from an upset loss at home to Calgary in the West Final. Buono said the Lions current plight is a characteristic of a veteran club that realizes the playoffs count that most. "How much does a (regular) season really mean?" Buono asked. "Well, to me, it means a lot, because a home playoff game is an important game to have. Biggest game of the year is something that we should be striving for. You have to be a real pro. "People that pay for tickets, they expect that, and weve been really good at home and weve been really, I think, average and less than average on the road." But it remains to be seen how much Pierce, who turns 32 in November, can really help the cause on the ffield given his injury history and his struggles this season in Winnipeg, where he was displaced as the starter.dddddddddddd Buono released him after the 2009 season because he was concerned about the QBs risk of suffering a debilitating injury following a series of concussions and other health woes. But Buono said the situation is not the same now, because Travis Lulay, who passed for 300 yards in the back-to-back games against Hamilton and signed a new contract at the beginning of the season, is still the esablished starter. "The whole impetus of that was that we were not willing to make Buck a starter, because we just felt we needed to have stability considering what occurred with Dave Dickenson was occurring with Buck," said Buono. "I think this situation is totally different." Buono released Dickenson, who also suffered from concussions, because of concerns for further damage. Dickenson subsequently was forced to retire from the Calgary Stampeders because of his head injuries, and now serves as their offensive co-ordinator. "Were looking at a player of Bucks experience to come in and give us some depth and, hopefully, give us a little more leadership, too," said Buono. "We have a very tough schedule, and to get a guy like Buck, who has championship experience and whos a veteran, I think hes going to come and add some depth to our team." He said second-year pro Thomas DeMarco, B.C.s current backup quarterback and rookie Chris Hart, now No. 3, still have a future with the organization, but the Lions need an experienced quarterback to deal with the high-pressure defences that teams are deploying. In two of the past three games, Lulay was hounded by blitzing Montreal and Hamilton clubs that beat the Lions. In 34 games in which Pierce started between 2005 and 2009, the Lions compiled a 21-12-1 mark. After joining the Bombers as a free agent in 2010, Pierce started 32 of 33 games, but became disenchanted with Winnipegs management earlier this season when the club indicated its preference for going with younger signal-callers. In nine CFL seasons, the New Mexico State product has thrown for 15,059 yards on 1,179 completions, a 64.3 completion percentage and 73 touchdowns. Benevides said DeMarco will retain the No. 2 role until "the process" between him and Piece plays itself out. "Were not banking on Buck coming here and being our saviour," said Buono. "We have a very good (starting) quarterback." Notes: The Lions confirmed they have placed injured centre Angus Reid (back) on the nine-game injured list that covers the second half of the season. He could return to action earlier if healthy. He was also on the nine-game injured list in the first half of the season. ... Pierce is slated to practise with B.C. on Wednesday. ... Foster, a 26-year-old Ajax, Ont., native in his fourth CFL season, was at the Lions practice facility Monday, but did not address reporters. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '