LONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – Petr Cech will return to Chelsea this summer in a new sporting director role at the club, Sky Sports News has learnt.
The Arsenal goalkeeper, who turned 37 on Monday, announced he will retire from playing after next Wednesday’s Europa League final in Azerbaijan against his former – and future – employers at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have been without a technical director since Michael Emenalo’s resignation in November 2017, as director Marina Granovskaia has taken on the majority of his old duties since he departed the club.
It is not clear at this stage exactly what responsibilities Cech will have, but he could share some of the burden in terms of recruitment and bridging the gap between the board and the manager.
Cech remained coy on social media, reiterating that he will make a decision after the Europa League final in Baku.
“Despite the news today as I had already said to everybody before, I’ll make a decision about my future after the last game. Now my sole focus is to win the Europa League with Arsenal,” Cech tweeted.
The club have made little secret of their desire to welcome back the ‘golden generation’ which included the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Cech.
The goalkeeper enjoys legendary status at Stamford Bridge after 11 trophy-laden seasons with the club, including four Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2012.
He could be set to work with a brand new manager – as a host of Italian clubs, including Juventus and Roma, are targeting current boss Maurizio Sarri, Sky Sports News understands.
Casillas pictured here with his wife Carbonero during a special event in Madrid last year. Photo/DAILY MAIL
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – The wife of goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who suffered a heart attack earlier this month, has revealed she is fighting ovarian cancer.
Sara Carbonero made the shock announcement on Tuesday.
She said on social media, in an emotional post less than three weeks after her partner suffered a heat attack while training for club side Porto: “When we hadn’t yet recovered from one shock, life has surprised us again.
“This time it’s me, that six-letter word I still struggle to write. A few days ago during a check-up, doctors described a malignant ovarian tumour and I have been operated on,” she wrote.
Sara Carbonero made shock announcement on Tuesday after being diagnosed a few days ago. Photo/DAILY MAIL
“Everything has turned out okay and fortunately we caught it in time but I’ve still got some months left fighting while I have the corresponding treatment. I’m calm and confident everything is going to be okay. I know the road will be tough but will also have a happy ending.”
“I have the support of my family and friend and a great medical team.”
The legendary goalkeeper suffered a heart attack during Porto training earlier this month. Photo/Daily Mail
The TV sports journalist added: “I take advantage of this moment to ask that my journalist colleagues show the respect and understanding they have always shown me, especially in these difficult and delicate times for me and my family.”
Sara’s whereabouts on Tuesday were unclear.
The 35-year-old, who has two sons with her husband, helped organise his 38th birthday on Monday before breaking the news of her own health battle.
She was filming in Tarifa in southern Spain when former Real Madrid shotstopper Casillas suffered his heart attack on May 1.
Chemelil Sugar keeper Morgan Alube picks up the ball ahead of Sofapaka striker Umaru Kasumba during their Kenyan Premier League match at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on May 22, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
MACHAKOS, Kenya, May 22 – Chemelil Sugar moved a step closer to assuring themselves of another season in top flight football after holding Sofapaka to a goalless draw at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Wednesday afternoon.
The Sugar belt are just a place above the bottom three relegation spots and the point gained on the road against a Batoto ba Mungu side that beat them 3-0 in the first leg in Awasi places them on 31 points, three ahead of 16th placed Zoo Kericho and six ahead of Vihiga United who occupy 17th spot.
For Sofapaka, their ambition of finishing at second spot in the Kenyan Premier League standings were dashed as the point gained against Chemelil moves them to 58, four behind second placed Bandari.
Batoto ba Mungu had the chances to score, but they couldn’t get anything behind the net not because their finishing was poor, but because Chemelil keeper Moragn Alube earned his full pay with brilliant saves.
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain should be excluded from European club competition and are nothing more than “playthings of a state”, La Liga’s president Javier Tebas has said.
It is not the first time the outspoken head of the Spanish league has attacked Abu Dhabi-owned City or Qatari-owned PSG, and newly crowned Premier League champions City have threatened to take him to court at one point.
However, Tebas launched another broadside at the wealthy clubs when he spoke at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, saying City and PSG “are clubs who could not care less what their real incomes are when they want to sign a player because they receive incomes from a state”.
“It forces other clubs into an economic situation which is really living on the edge. It skews the balance of the entire European football structure,” Tebas said.
“This is no longer sport. This is no longer an industry.
“It becomes more like a toy, the plaything of a state.
“And when it’s a plaything, kids start playing with other kids. You end up ruining the entire system.”
City — who last weekend completed a historic domestic treble with a 6-0 whipping of Watford in the FA Cup final — are presently under investigation by UEFA over alleged breaches of their Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. The club strongly deny any wrongdoing.
PSG were able to pay a world record fee of 222 million euros ($248 million) for Neymar in 2017 and also signed French striker Kylian Mbappe the same summer.
The 56-year-old Costa Rica-born lawyer, who has been in his present role since 2013, said the way in which City and PSG spent freely in the transfer market had a knock-on effect on their rivals.
He said other clubs see a European Super League, a potential replacement for the Champions League that Tebas opposes, as enriching them and making them better able to compete on a more level playing field with PSG and City.
“The origin of this entire problem with the Super League is the inflationary effect that Manchester City and PSG have created across the whole of Europe,” said Tebas.
“The rest of the clubs in Europe want money to compete with these guys.”
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, May 22 – A top EU court has cancelled a European Commission decision from 2016 that forced Spain to recover Sh 2 billion (18.4 million euros) from Real Madrid because it considered a real estate refund as illegal state aid.
“The Commission could not classify the disputed measure as state aid”, as it did not “sufficiently demonstrate that it conferred an advantage to the plaintiff,” said the ruling of the General Court of the European Union.
In a decision handed down in July 2016, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the club and the Madrid City Hall had agreed an illegal transaction involving the sale of municipal land.
In the deal, the club had paid 595,000 euros in 1998 for the land, but the operation had not come to fruition for technical reasons and authorities paid Real Madrid 22.7 million euros in compensation in 2011.
But according to a Barcelona firm mandated by the commission, it should have paid only 4.3 million euros leaving the land in question overvalued by 18.4 million euros, giving Real Madrid an unjustified advantage over other clubs.
Real Madrid lodged an appeal against this decision in October 2016.
“I am absolutely convinced that we will win,” club president Florentino Perez said at the time.
In February 2019, the European Court of Justice annulled another commission decision involving four Spanish clubs, including Real, but also Barcelona, Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao, to repay illegal state aid.
These clubs were accused of having benefited, without justification, of a corporate tax rate five percent lower than that of other similar companies.
However, the General Court decided the commission had erred in its assessment, not having already sufficiently proved that the contested measure was illegal.
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – Robin van Persie has urged Manchester United to keep faith with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the under-fire manager’s turbulent end to his first season in charge.
Solskjaer presided over a miserable conclusion to a campaign that saw United fail to qualify for the Champions League after finishing sixth in the Premier League.
However, Van Persie, whose goals helped United win their last Premier League title in 2013, is adamant Solskjaer deserves more time to get the club back on track.
“I think it’s the perfect match, it’s just they’re having a bad spell,” Van Persie told BBC Sport on Wednesday.
“Back in the day it was normal for a manager to get time. Nowadays if you lose six games, you’re out. Is that the solution?
“Give someone time, especially if it’s a kid from the club.”
Former United striker Solskjaer had made a positive impact after replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho as interim boss in December.
Solskjaer oversaw a 15-match unbeaten domestic run and led United to a stunning Champions League last 16, second leg win over Paris Saint-Germain.
But United’s form dipped dramatically once Solskjaer was hired on a permanent basis in March and a run of six defeats from their last 10 games shattered their top four hopes.
Solskjaer’s problems have mounted amid claims that United midfielder Paul Pogba wants to join Real Madrid, while the boss is reportedly unhappy with the fitness levels and commitment of some of his squad.
The 46-year-old, whose only other managerial spells came at Cardiff and Molde, needs to make a flying start to next season if he is to avoid calls for his dismissal.
But Dutch forward Van Persie, who scored 58 goals in 105 games for United, says his old team need to let the Norwegian grow into the role rather than panicking at the first sign of bad results.
“It’s funny because when he started everyone was so positive, they were winning and they made a miracle by beating PSG,” Van Persie said.
“Everyone was screaming like, ‘Give the guy a permanent deal’. And then since that permanent deal the luck went away a little bit; they’ve been losing more games than they want to.”
Van Persie, who retired at the end of this season after a spell with Feyenoord, doesn’t think United’s problems will be solved only by splashing out on new signings.
“If a player has a couple of bad games, ‘OK, sell him!’. If he doesn’t score a few goals, ‘OK, he’s out, he’s finished’,” he added.
“Back in the day you used to get time, you can make mistakes, you can learn. Now I get the feeling that time is less. Ideally, you would get time – as a player, as a coach.”
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – Chelsea have been ordered to pay out a fee of Sh 1.1 billion (£9 million) to former Blues Antonio Conte following his acrimonious departure at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Conte and Chelsea have been at legal loggerheads since the Italian’s departure as manager in July 2018.
He was left ‘disgusted’ by how the club conducted themselves, releasing a 52-word statement that failed to thank him for his Premier League title and FA Cup in two seasons.
Conte had one year remaining on his Stamford Bridge deal, but Chelsea had hoped to avoid paying that in full by arguing that he was ‘in breach of that contract’ due to his ‘behaviour in his final year’.
The Times say that his decision to text Diego Costa to tell him he could leave so soon after the Blues had won the Premier League in 2017 ‘was against the club’s interests’.
Conte’s counter-argument was that Chelsea ‘harmed his chances of getting another management job last summer’ by delaying his sacking until after he and his squad returned to pre-season training.
He is now in line to take the Inter Milan job, while Chelsea ‘are not planning to appeal against the tribunal’s verdict’ as they hope to draw a line under ‘a bitter ten-month feud’.
Conte’s pay-off is only the fifth-biggest the Blues have paid to a manager under Roman Abramovich.
The £23.1m paid to Jose Mourinho and his staff in September 2007 was higher, as well as the fees given to Andre Villas-Boas (£12.7m), Luiz Felipe Scolari (£12.6m) and Roberto Di Matteo (£10.7m). In total, they add up to £92.9m.
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 22 – Pep Guardiola could be poised to make a shock switch to Serie A in the off-season, with reports in Italy claiming the Manchester City manager has agreed a four-year deal with Juventus.
Guardiola has just clinched back-to-back Premier League titles with Manchester City along with an historic treble, but that is not stopping reports suggesting he is now ready to jump ship and join the Italian champions.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the Italian Serie A trophy
Juve are on the look-out for a new coach following the surprise decision to part company with Max Allegri last week, and it would appear that Guardiola is the man they want to replace him.
The Old Lady are desperate to win the Champions League, something they have not done since 1996, and have identified Guardiola and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as the two coaches who could help produce the goods.
Klopp is not interested, but reports in Italy say Guardiola is, and have gone as far as suggesting a four-year deal is in place.
Guardiola is known for not hanging around at a club for too long as he has shown at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and these latest reports will be a huge worry for City fans.
Vihiga United striker Amos Kigadi controls the ball under pressure from Gor Mahia’s Charles Momanyi and Ernest Wendo during a Kenyan Premier League match at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on May 22, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
MACHAKOS, Kenya, May 22 – Gor Mahia were crowned the Kenyan Premier League champions for a record 18th time on Wednesday evening despite being held to a 1-1 draw by relegation fighting Vihiga United at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
With Bandari being held to a 0-0 draw by Mathare United in the earlier kick off at the Kasarani Stadium, Gor had already been crowned champions by half time in their tie in Machakos.
Charles Momanyi had given Gor a first half lead before Amos Kigadi headed Vihiga level in the second half, with the results leaving Gor eight points clear at the top with two rounds of matches left, and mathematically impossible for anyone to catch up with them.
Gor head coach Hassan Oktay fielded the same strong side that won 3-1 in the Mashemeji Derby last Sunday, the only exception being defender Joash Onyango who was rested with Momanyi starting.
And Momanyi thanked his coach for the starting role in style, heading home after 14 minutes when he rose highest inside the box to nod home a Samuel Onyango freekick.
It was the first effort on target in a cagy encounter with relegation threatened Vihiga doing most of the running while Gor sat back and possessed the ball trying to get the opportune moment to attack.
Gor had to wait until the 35th minute to create any other meaningful effort at goal. Kenneth Muguna picked the ball inside the box, twisted and turned and set up Nicholas Kipkurui but his shot was wild and wide.
A minute on the turn, Vihiga had a dangerous chance at goal when Kigadi rose highest to meet an Alex Imbusia cross from the right, but the header met an equally good save from Peter Odhiambo.
Three minutes to the break, Gor had another chance when Philemon Otieno floated in a beautiful cross from the right landing on Samuel Onyango’s head, but his effort was well saved by the keeper.
In the second half, Vihiga stepped up and created chances. Five minutes after the restart, Kigadi came in to the end of a Victor Ademba freekick, but his effort went just inches over.
On the other end, Onyango had a chance when put through by Jack Tuyisenge but he couldn’t find the target. Three minutes later, they were punished for the missed chance.
Kigadi rose in at the back post to power a header from a Hedmond Mauda freekick into the bottom right of keeper Odhiambo’s goal.
Knowing that the league was well secured, Gor were in no pressure and only forced the Vihiga keeper to one more save, the custodian going down low to save Kipkurui’s shot from inside the box with quarter of an hour left.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 22 – The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played with 32 teams after a proposed expansion of the tournament to 48 sides was scrapped, FIFA announced on Wednesday.
World football’s governing body said in a statement that “following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders, it was concluded that under the current circumstances such a proposal could not be made now”.
“(The tournament) will therefore remain as originally planned with 32 teams and no proposal will be submitted at the next FIFA Congress on 5 June,” FIFA added.
An announcement of the final decision hadn’t been expected until the congress, which is being held in Paris ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had supported the increase in the size of the tournament.
However the statement said that the study “concluded that due to the advanced stage of preparations and the need for a detailed assessment of the potential logistical impact on the host country, more time would be required and a decision could not be taken before the deadline of June”.
That led to FIFA dropping the idea, despite the organisation recommending in March that the number of teams should be raised to 48 for 2022, ahead of the planned 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Expanding the competition for the 2022 tournament was always a complicated proposition. FIFA had sounded out potential co-hosts in the region willing to support Qatar, a complicated proposition for Doha which is subject to an ongoing embargo by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their allies.
Last week Hassan al-Thawadi, the secretary general of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said that a feasibility study jointly carried out by FIFA and Qatar would favour “expansion to other countries”.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut all ties with Doha in June 2017, accusing Qatar of supporting Iran and Islamist groups.
Qatar denies the charges and says Saudi and its allies aim to incite government change in the emirate, the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas.
Gulf states Kuwait and Oman have not taken sides in the crisis, however in April Oman announced it was “not ready” to host matches.
SYDNEY, Australia, May 23 – Philadephia 76ers star Ben Simmons headlines an NBA player-dominated preliminary Australia squad announced Thursday for this year’s Basketball World Cup in China.
Nine US-based players form the core of the 17-man Boomers squad, including Andrew Bogut of NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Joe Ingles of the Utah Jazz, Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs and another 76er, Jonah Bolden.
The NBA has seen a record number of Australian players this year and the Boomers are being touted as the strongest from the country to play at a World Cup.
“No doubt, we have the opportunity to put a great team on the floor and that’s exciting,” head coach Andrej Lemanis said in a statement.
“The depth of talent in Australian basketball means that some tough decisions are made at this point and some very good players miss out,” Lemanis added after several hopefuls from Australia’s national competition were overlooked.
Simmons’ 76ers lost the Eastern Conference semi-finals after an incredible game seven buzzer-beater by the Toronto Raptor’s Kawhi Leonard earlier this month.
The former NBA rookie of the year took to social media this week to let 76er fans know he was energised for next year after a “tough way to finish the season”.
“I would also like to announce that I am going to be a Boomer for the upcoming events. So stay tuned,” Simmons added in a video posted to Twitter.
Sudanese-Australian Thon Maker was pulled from the Boomers squad at the last minute, reportedly at the request of his NBA team the Detroit Pistons.
The final 12-man squad will be selected during team camp in August.
They will take on Canada and the USA in warm-up matches in Perth and Melbourne that month with their World Cup campaign beginning against the Canadians on September 1 in China.
Gor Mahia head coach Hassan Oktay rejoicing after being named April Fidelity Insurance Coach of the Month. Photo/SJAK
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 23 – A day after sealing the 2018/19 Kenyan Premier League title, Gor Mahia tactician Hassan Oktay has crowned his moments by winning the Fidelity Insurance Coach of the Month for April in a ceremony held at the Camp Toyoyo ground on Thursday morning.
This is the second time Oktay is bagging the award this season after collecting it in February to make him the first coach to win it twice in one season.
Cypriot said it was made possible by his entire technical bench that has assistant Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, goalkeeper trainer Willis Ochieng and Team Manager Jolawi Abondo among others.
“This award goes to my team and technical bench, they all have made this possible. The award is so special to me because it comes a day after winning the Kenyan Premier League title. Thank you sponsors and SJAK for recognizing our effort,” an elated Oktay said after receiving the award from Fidelity Insurance Marketing Manager Nicholas Malesi.
To take the accolade that was accompanied with Ksh 75,000 and a personalized trophy, Oktay weeded off competition from AFC Leopards’ Cassa Mbungo and Kakamega Homeboyz’s Nicholas Muyoti.
Gor Mahia head coach Hassan Oktay with his players after winning April Fidelity Insurance Coach of the Month Award. Photo/SJAK
Oktay steered mighty Gor to six wins and two draws to ensure they remained on top of the table and stay alive to retaining the league for a third successive year.
K’Ogalostarted the month with a 2-1 win over Nzoia Sugar in Kisumu before beating Sony Sugar 3-2, then drew 1-1 draw against Kakamega Homeboyz.
It was then followed by a similar score line of 1-1 stalemate when they took on Ulinzi Stars. K’Ogalowould then gather themselves and squeeze one past Bandari in a 1-0 result before they were awarded a walkover against already relegated Mount Kenya United.
Gor then won 2-0 win over Tusker FC before wrapping the month with a 2-1 triumph over Ulinzi Stars.
Gor Mahia head coach Hassan Oktay receives a personalised plaque from Fidelity Insurance Marketing Manager Nicholas Malesi at Camp Toyoyo when he was crowned April Coach of the Month. Photo/SJAK
“This is a splendid performance from Gor, we were here in February and today we are back, that shows that you guys (Gor) don’t have competition in the league, congratulations for winning a record 18th KPL title. As Fidelity Insurance, we will continue to support the initiative to see our football standards grow,” Malesi said.
“I know urge you to scale it up and shine in continental football as well,” Malesi added.
The Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) Football Commission selects the winners every month.
Oktay becomes the fifth recipient of the award in the ongoing 2018-2019 season after Western Stima’s Paul Ogai, Bandari’s Bernard Mwalala, Mathare United’s Francis Kimanzi and John Baraza of Sofapaka.
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 23 – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly tracking three players currently plying their trade in the Premier League as he looks to overhaul his squad in the off-season.
Solskjaer is reportedly ready to oversee a major overhaul of his squad this off-season, with the team having fallen short of a top-four finish during 2018-19.
According to a report from the Daily Telegraph, the Norwegian has prioritised the signing of both Swansea winger Daniel James and Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff.
Solskjaer is keen on signing youthful, home-grown players and with Ander Herrera departing and Juan Mata’s future far from assured he will need to add at least two midfield players.
A report last week linked United with Longstaff, but also stated that Newcastle have had no official approach for their prized young asset.
Longstaff, who was loaned to Blackpool last season, has enjoyed a breakthrough season under Rafa Benitez and has earned praise for his mature performances in the middle of the park.
Daniel James, meanwhile, had a stellar campaign for Swansea, scoring four goals and adding nine assists in 33 Championship appearances.
Reports have suggested that the Red Devils have agreed a £15million fee over his transfer, but interest from Graham Potter at Brighton was also mentioned.
The Manchester Evening News are reporting that James has agreed personal terms ahead of a move, while they claim that United also hold interest in Crystal Palace star Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Antonio Valencia will leave the club this summer while Matteo Darmian could also depart, meaning Solskjaer needs cover at right-back.
Wan-Bissaka is apparently valued at £50million by the south London club after having a stellar breakthrough season at Selhurst Park.
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 23 – The coronation for record 18-time Kenyan Premier League Champions Gor Mahia will take place at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Saturday in their last home match against Posta Rangers.
K’Ogalo sealed their 18th domestic title on Wednesday at the same Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos after drawing 1-1 with Vihiga United FC a result that also saw them win a third consecutive national title.
“I am excited about the unprecedented 18th championship title of the Kenyan Premier League and more so the fact that we are keeping it for good having won three times in a row, a milestone in the league’s history. I just want to thank my sponsor SportPesa for the support,” Gor chairman Ambrose Rachier said.
The trophy handover event, to be conducted after Gor Mahia’s match with Posta that is scheduled to kick-off at 4:15PM, is expected to be a huge celebration for the passionate Green Army who will have enjoyed a dream week that started with their victory over arch-rival, AFC Leopards SC last Sunday in Nairobi.
Gor Mahia are eight points clear at the top with Bandari FC (62 points) coming second with two matches remaining to end the 2018/2019 campaign.
PARIS, France, May 23 – Could Kylian Mbappe really be about to play his final game for Paris Saint-Germain? And how are the French champions’ main domestic rivals shaping up for what looks set to be a summer of transition?
AFP Sport looks at the main talking points in France ahead of the final night of the Ligue 1 season on Friday:
– Mbappe going nowhere? –
Kylian Mbappe has dominated the headlines and the discussions on television and radio in France this week following his shock remarks at an awards ceremony in Paris on Sunday.
The 20-year-old World Cup winner used his victory speech after being named as France’s player and young player of the year to drop a bombshell and suggest he could be ready to leave PSG after just two seasons.
“I have discovered so many things here, and I feel that maybe it is the time to take on more responsibility. Maybe at Paris Saint-Germain — with pleasure — or in a new project elsewhere,” Mbappe said.
PSG responded by insisting their star man would be going nowhere this summer, but his remarks have increased speculation that Real Madrid could come back in for a player they tried to sign from Monaco in 2017.
So it still seems far fetched that PSG’s match at Reims on Friday could be Mbappe’s last for the club, as he looks to add to his 32 league goals for the season without the support of Neymar. The Brazilian is again suspended.
Lille will join PSG in the Champions League group stage after a superb run to second place in Ligue 1. Their game at Rennes on Friday will be the last for the club for Nicolas Pepe, the Ivorian who has scored 22 goals in a brilliant campaign. He will be sold for big money in the summer.
Lyon have third place wrapped up and are now crossing their fingers in the hope that Chelsea win the Europa League final against Arsenal. Only if that happens will OL be guaranteed a place in the group stage of next season’s Champions League.
That would be a huge boost for the club just as they prepare to usher in a new management team. Bruno Genesio will depart after three and a half years as coach, with club legend Juninho Pernambucano set to come in as sporting director and his fellow Brazilian Sylvinho as head coach.
“Sylvinho does not have great experience as a coach in his own right but, without wishing to compare him to (Zinedine) Zidane, we have seen that great players can come on board with ambitious projects and do well,” said Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.
Saint-Etienne celebrated qualifying for Europe last weekend but were immediately hit by the news that veteran coach Jean-Louis Gasset would be standing down after Friday’s match at Angers.
Meanwhile, the announcement that Rudi Garcia would be leaving his job as coach of Marseille came as no surprise at all. The former Champions League winners can no longer finish higher than fifth and will not qualify for Europe.
Garcia called it “the worst season of my career”, and the names being linked with the job at the Velodrome include former player Gabriel Heinze, Claude Puel, Rafael Benitez and Porto coach Sergio Conceicao. Whoever comes in faces a huge rebuilding job.
It has been a turbulent season too for Monaco, but the principality club will not go down on the final day barring a dramatic set of results.
Dijon have to win against Toulouse to stand any chance of avoiding going down automatically along with Guingamp. Caen currently occupy the relegation play-off place but are just two points behind Amiens and are hoping to stay up on the final day for the third season running.
Fixtures on Friday (1905GMT)
Amiens v Guingamp, Angers v Saint-Etienne, Caen v Bordeaux, Dijon v Toulouse, Marseille v Montpellier, Nantes v Strasbourg, Nice v Monaco, Nimes v Lyon, Reims v Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes v Lille
PARIS, France, May 23 – Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi was on Thursday charged with corruption in connection with the bidding process for this year’s world athletics championships in Doha, judicial sources said.
Al-Khelaifi, who is also the boss of Qatari television channel BeIN Sports, has been under investigation since March in a probe of the bidding process for the 2017 and the 2019 world championships.
Doha lost out to London to stage the 2017 worlds but beat off opposition to host the 2019 event from Eugene in the United States and Barcelona.
Al-Khelaifi was informed by letter of his “mis en examen”, a French legal term that has no direct equivalent in the American or British legal systems but roughly translates as being charged.
The French term does not automatically trigger a trial but means that prosecutors believe there is strong or corroborated evidence of wrongdoing.
Al-Khelaifi was unable to attend questioning by investigators scheduled for May 16 as he was in Qatar for the domestic cup final.
French prosecutors are looking specifically at two payments of $3.5 million in 2011 by Oryx Qatar Sports Investment, a company jointly owned by Al-Khelaifi and his brother Khalid, to a sports marketing firm run by Papa Massata Diack.
Diack’s father Lamine Diack was president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) from 1999 to 2015 and a member of the International Olympic Committee.
As well as probing the world athletics championships the French investigation is also examining circumstances in which the Olympic Games were awarded to Rio de Janeiro for 2016 and Tokyo for 2020.
– No payment –
Prior to the decision to charge him, Al-Khelaifi had been questioned in March as “person of interest” in the case revolving around the 2011 payments by Oryx which were made at a time when Doha was seeking to host the 2017 world athletics championship and the 2020 Olympics.
Investigators were seeking to determine whether, in return for the payments, Lamine Diack used his influence to gain votes for Doha among IAAF members and also to obtain a date change for the competitions to avoid the heat of the Qatar summer.
The world championships take place at the Khalifa International Stadium between September 27 and October 6.
Al-Khelaifi’s lawyer Francis Szpiner denied all wrongdoing on the part of his client saying the Oryx payments were fully transparent and the facts of the case “do not concern him (Al-Khalaifi).”
The head of BeIN Sports “authorised no payment of any kind in relation to the allegations made,” he told AFP.
“Nasser Al-Khelaifi was neither a shareholder, nor a director of Oryx en 2011. He did not intervene either directly or indirectly in the candidature of Doha…”
Another BeIN executive, Yousef Al-Obaidly, a PSG board member and close associate of Al-Khelaifi, is also under investigation in France which claims jurisiction because the IAAF is based in Monaco.
Al-Obaidly has also denied all wrongdoing, saying the allegations were “utterly baseless and unsubstantiated.”
Lamine Diack, meanwhile, was charged with corruption in March in relation to the case while an arrest warrant has been issued for his Senegal-based son, also wanted for corruption and money laundering, according to a source close to the probe.
French prosecutors this week recommended that Diack and his son stand trial in a separate matter, for allegedly obstructing sanctions against Russia for doping in return for payments when he was IAAF president.
LONDON, United Kingdom, May 23 – The Premier League has welcomed Raheem Sterling’s offer to help in the fight against racism after the Manchester City star called on the sport’s authorities to do more to tackle the problem.
Sterling told the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival in New York this week that football’s current attempts to stamp out racism are not effective enough.
The 24-year-old wants the introduction of stronger punishments when incidents occur, suggesting clubs whose fans are guilty of racism should be hit with points deductions.
Sterling, who has emerged as a key voice in the campaign against racism, is keen to speak to the Football Association and Premier League to discuss his ideas.
Premier League chiefs have responded by confirming they are ready to talk to the England winger and any other players with thoughts on the issue.
“The Premier League and our clubs agree that while good work has been undertaken, more needs to be done to promote inclusion and diversity across football and to ensure BAME fans and players are supported,” a Premier League statement said on Thursday.
“Raheem took part in our No Room for Racism campaign and we would welcome the opportunity to talk to him, and other players, about discrimination in football.
“Developing our work in this area is a priority for the Premier League.”
Sterling and several of his England team-mates endured racist chanting during a Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro in March.
He was also allegedly abused by Chelsea fans in December and, speaking at the event, he said strong punishments are needed in order for the campaign to have a real impact.
“Teams getting (points) deductions, teams getting kicked out. This is when people start taking it seriously,” he said.
“If I go to a football game and I support Manchester United, for example, I don’t want to be the person that lets my team down by saying silly remarks in a stadium.
“If you know your team is going to get deducted nine points and not win the league, you are not going to say these racist remarks even though you shouldn’t have it in your head.”
MONACO, Monaco, May 23 – Poignant tributes to Niki Lauda, including a solitary red baseball cap left hanging on his earphones peg, were all around the Mercedes team motorhome and their cars on Thursday morning as practice began for the Monaco Grand Prix.
On a dry and hazy morning in the Mediterranean principality, the cramped harbourside paddock was in sombre mood as Formula One honoured the Austrian, who died overnight Monday aged 70.
Like Mercedes, where he was a larger-than-life figure on the pit-wall as the team’s plain-speaking non-executive chairman, and Ferrari, with whom he won his first two championships, McLaren were also honouring the memory of the man and where he won his third drivers world title.
The Ferrari SF90 cars ran with a decal marking his time with them in the form of a replica graphic of his name as used on the side of the cars when he raced for the team from 1974 to 1977.
It was underlined in black as a sign of mourning.
Sebastian Vettel, the four-time champion who is a keen historian of the sport and was close to Lauda, wore a special helmet livery reflecting the famous red one the Austrian used in his racing career.
Mercedes marked the passing of the man who was instrumental in persuading Lewis Hamilton to join from McLaren with a red star, Lauda’s signature and a message of thanks ‘Danke Niki’ on their cars.
“As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for the team, for all of us, and it is very difficult, most importantly, as a friend,” said team boss and fellow-Austrian Toto Wolff.
“It’s not an easy situation to try to go back to racing especially not in Monaco with so much media attention.
“I am trying to keep it together emotionally in speaking about a friend. This is what matters most and what hurts the most. It is one thing that the world and the F1 community has lost the biggest icon, but it is totally different, and more difficult, to have lost a friend.”
– ‘Heart and soul’ –
Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday’s practice, Wolff asked the news media to respect the team’s emotions as they continued racing “as Niki would have wanted us to do nothing else”.
“It’s so hard to talk about Niki, the icon in F1 that he was,” he added.
“The biggest icon that we had. My emotions are so overwhelming as a friend. The 48 hours have been terrible. I feel like a zombie – I keep looking at the pictures and find myself with tears in my eyes every half hour because he’s not here anymore.
“This isn’t easy. There’s a huge black cloud and there is someone who is so dearly missed in this team and in F1. I feel we’ve lost the heart and soul of Formula One.”
Vettel not only sported a near-replica Lauda helmet, but revealed also that, after learning of his friend’s lung transplant operation last year, he wrote a letter that he described as being “a great pleasure” and “full of fine words.”
Other teams including Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Haas carried tributes on their cars as championship leader and defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace.
The Briton was excused from appearing at a routine pre-event news conference on Wednesday due to his emotional condition following Lauda’s death, his place being taken by Silver Arrows team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
The pair swapped fastest laps to stay ahead of the chasing pack as Mercedes sought to extend their record breaking run of five one-two season opening triumphs to six at this weekend’s classic blue riband street race.
Zoo Kericho midfielder Danson Chetambe vies for the ball with Tusker FC’s Boniface Muchiri during a Kenyan Premier League match at the Ruaraka Complex in Nairobi on May 23, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 23 – Danson Chetambe curled in a brilliant freekick three minutes from time to hand Zoo Kericho a massive point in the race to survive Kenyan Premier League relegation, scoring the equalizer in their 2-2 draw with Tusker FC at the Ruaraka Complex on Thursday.
Boniface Muchiri had given Tusker the lead with another beauty of a freekick at a rain drenched Ruaraka before Chetambe replied with a beauty of his own.
Tusker had broken the deadlock through David Majak before David Odhiambo equalized for Zoo.
The result takes Zoo to within two points of 15th placed Chemelil Sugar with two rounds of matches to go and they will now look to win both games and hope Chemelil drop points in one of their two.
The home side broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Majak picked the ball inside the box after Faraj Ominde had flicked him through before slamming the ball oast the keeper.
Before that, the Brewers had some half chances, first Hillary Wandera’s volley from the edge of the box going wide before Boniface Muchiri shot straight at the keeper from range.
In the 36th minute Tusker had a chance when Majak out Jackson Macharia through but the latter’s shot was turned behind for a corner by the keeper.
Zoo drew level just two minutes later when Kevin Omondi curled the ball to the top left corner after being out through on goal by Ernest Kipkoech.
Almost immediately, Zoo had another glorious opportunity that should have ended in the back of the net when Kiokoech’s point blank cross fell on Derrick Amani whose point blank shot attracted a brilliant one on one save from Robert Mboya.
Zoo Kericho midfielder Geoffrey Gichana clears the ball under pressure from Tusker FC’s Jackson Macharia during a Kenyan Premier League match at the Ruaraka Complex in Nairobi on May 23, 2019. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
In a quick turn around with the heavens opening up, Tusker came inches close to restoring their lead off a counter but Wafula’s point blank effort was saved by keeper Martin Elung’at.
The pouring rain made the pitch heavy and the pace if the game hugely died down.
At the start of the second half. Robert Matano made changes to his midfield, Peter Nzuki and Jackson Macharia coming off for David Naftali and Timothy Otieno.
With the slippery nature of the pitch, it was difficult to play the ball on the ground and both teams resorted to playing in high balls and dumping them into the opponent’s box.
Off one of these moves, Zoo had a chance after 72 minutes when keeper Mboya made a brilliant double save to deny Chetambe. The midfielder picked up the ball at the edge of the six yard box, shot at goal and his effort was blocked.
He picked up the ball on the second bite of the cherry and saw that effort blocked as well.
Omondi was using his height and ball control superbly, his hold up play when Zoo were on the offensive being on point. However, they could not finish the job in the final third.
The brewers them took the lead with 13 minutes left when Muchiri stood over a freekick from 30 yards out before curling it beyond the wall and past keeper Elung’at.
Despite going down, Zoo showed some fighting spirit as they continued knocking on the Tusker door. Three minutes to go, they won a freekick from range and Chetambe stood over it, sending it to the top right corner of Mboya’s goal.
There would have been late drama in the game when Omondi had a chance off another looped ball, but his shot was blocked by Eugene Asike.
Uganda’s Emmanuel Okwi (L) runs with the ball next to Eritrea’s Selemon Yonatan during a Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Cup football match in Nairobi, on December 2, 2013 in Nairobi
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 24 – Eritrea have been accepted back into the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), after a six year ban due to tensions with Ethiopia and was handed the right to hold a youth tournament this year, the sub-confederation said on Thursday.
CECAFA secretary-general Nicholas Musonye said the one-party state would stage the region’s inaugural under-15 tournament from August 17 to September 1 in its capital, Asmara.
“Eritrea have confirmed that they are ready to host CECAFA, and acknowledged the importance of the tournament to the people of Eritrea, and the whole region,” Musonye said in a statement.
Eritrea last played in a CECAFA-organised tournament in Kenya in 2013, but were barred from the 2015 championships held in Ethiopia, due to political tensions between the two nations which fought a bloody war from 1998-2000.
However the two countries signed a peace deal in July last year, and ties have warmed under Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Musonye said the Ethiopian Football Federation had accepted to send its youth team to compete in the tournament.
Eritrea had also been blocked from other continental competitions as their players would regularly flee while abroad.
Eritreans are one of the world’s largest group of refugees, fleeing a repressive nation which restricts foreign travel and forces its citizens into indefinite military service.
In 2015 Botswana granted asylum to 10 Eritrean footballers who had refused to return home after a match against the national team.
In 2012, 18 Eritrean players claimed asylum in Uganda after a match there. Another six fled while in Angola in 2007 and 12 more did the same in Kenya in 2009.
CECEFA brings together 13 countries in east and central Africa including Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda who have qualified for this year’s African Cup of Nations.
