Juventus will be without experienced defender Giorgio Chiellini for Saturday’s Champions League final against Barcelona. The Italy international has torn a calf muscle in training and will not feature in Berlin. It means Chiellini will not come up against Luis Suarez – you may remember there was a little incident between the pair at the World Cup.
Ex-Portugal winger Luis Figo, 42, has been blocked by the club from playing in a combined Juventus and Barcelona legends team to face a World XI on Friday. Figo’s inclusion prompted anger from fans of the club, still unforgiving of his move to Real Madrid in 2000. Barcelona took the issue to UEFA, who agreed to withdraw Figo from the team. Barca have not fully explained the reasoning for the move to stop Figo from taking part in the fixture, which takes place 24 hours before the club meet Juventus in the Champions League final in Berlin. Edwin van der Sar, Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Cannavaro are just three of the names who will feature for the combination team, which will be managed by Brazil legend Zico. Figo, who joined Barcelona in 1995, won two La Liga titles with the club but joined Real for £37m in July of 2000, winning Fifa’s Ballon d’Or award four months later as a result of much of his performances for Barca over the year. On his return to the Nou Camp, banners were in place to taunt him and objects were thrown in his direction including a pig’s head. Former Real full-back Michel Salgado famously said: “By the second or third corner I turned to Luis Figo and said ‘Forget it, mate. You’re on your own’. I used to offer Luis the chance to take the short corner, drawing up close to him near the touchline, but not this time. Missiles were raining down from the stands.”
Juventus have confirmed the signing of Palermo striker Paulo Dybala in a €32m (£23m) deal that could rise to €40m (£29m). The 21-year-old Argentine has signed a five-year contract.
Dick Advocaat has performed a U-turn and will stay as Sunderland head coach after accepting a new one-year deal. The 67-year-old Dutchman said in May he no longer wished to continue a career in club management, having led the Black Cats to Premier League safety. Advocaat joined the club in March until the end of the season, replacing the sacked Gus Poyet, with the side one point above the relegation zone. He told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “The club kept calling.” Advocaat was offered a new deal at the end of the 2014-15 season, but had told the club “it is better to stop now”, before being persuaded to change his mind. The former Netherlands boss, who managed Scottish club Rangers between 1998 and 2002, lost his first Premier League game in charge of Sunderland at West Ham. But they went on to record three wins and three draws in the remaining eight games to pull clear of relegation, including a 1-0 win over North East rivals Newcastle. Prior to joining Sunderland, Advocaat won the league title and cup double twice at Ibrox, and league titles in his homeland with PSV Eindhoven and in Russia with Zenit St Petersburg. He also led Zenit to victory over Rangers in the 2008 Uefa Cup final and Manchester United in the Uefa Super Cup later that year.
Liverpool have announced that a deal has been agreed to sign midfielder James Milner from Manchester City, subject to a medical. The Reds have agreed personal terms with the England international, who will officially complete his move to Anfield when his City contract expires on 1 July. Milner will arrive at Anfield having lifted two Barclays Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup during his five-year spell with City. The 29-year-old is also firmly established as a regular for England and has notched 53 caps to date. Having also represented Leeds United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, Milner has lined up against Liverpool 24 times in total during the course of his career.
Thursday 4 June 2015:
Nigeria 4 – 0 Korea DPR
Honduras 0 – 3 Fiji
Hungary 1 -2 Brazil
Germany 3 – 0 Uzbekistan
More like it. Congrats to Flying Eagles of Nigeria for bouncing back.
Arsenal’s star man Alexis Sanchez has proved he is not just a hero on the pitch, he is one off it too. Here is the forward coming to the aid of an emotional fan as he arrived back in Chile this week. The supporter was held by police officers as she tried to cross the road to get near to the striker. Noticing this, Sanchez calmly turned back, spoke to the police and gave the fan what she wanted – a nice picture. The 26-year-old is over in Chile ahead of the Copa America, which starts on 11 June in his native country.
Former top FIFA official Chuck Blazer has admitted that he and others on the executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the choice of South Africa as 2010 World Cup host. The American said he also helped to arrange bribes over the 1998 event. The admissions come in a newly released transcript from a 2013 US hearing in which he pleads guilty to 10 charges. The US has launched a wide-ranging criminal case that engulfed FIFA and led President Sepp Blatter to resign. The US prosecutors last week indicted 14 people on charges of bribery, racketeering and money laundering. Four others had already been charged, including Mr Blazer. The US justice department alleges they accepted bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£97m) over a 24-year period.
Novak Djokovic has joined Robin Soderling in an elite group. The Serb has become only the second man to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open. The world number one has breezed into the semi-finals with a three-set victory against the nine-time champion. He beats Nadal 7-5 6-3 6-1. Nadal’s reign ends with a double fault and sympathetic applause. Incredible in its own way.
Brazil legend Zico has said that he plans to stand as a candidate in the FIFA presidential election. “My candidacy will be a reaction to everything that we have seen. I believe that now the race is open to everybody. Everybody knows me, the way I work – I’m a guy not only known for my work in Brazil” Zico scored 48 goals in 71 appearances for his country. He coached Japan in the 2006 World Cup and has also managed Fenerbahce (Turkey), CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Olympiacos (Greece).
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been given a 10-minute standing ovation by some 400 staff as he returned to its Zurich headquarters a day after announcing he was to step down. Reportedly close to tears, he urged his “fantastic team” to “stay strong”. Mr Blatter stood down just days after he was re-elected, amid a corruption scandal engulfing world football. Mr Blatter reportedly addressed staff in the same hall in which he announced he was resigning a day earlier. He emphasised the reform work that FIFA now needed to undertake.
South Africa has denied paying a $10m bribe to secure the 2010 World Cup, in the wake of a US inquiry into corruption at world football body FIFA. Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said the money in question was above board and intended to support football in the African diaspora in the Caribbean. US officials allege South Africa paid a $10m bribe in exchange for support for its 2010 World Cup bid from former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and several other members of the North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). But in a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Mbalula said South Africa “categorically denied” the allegation, adding that the money went towards an approved programme to help the development of football in the Caribbean. The money went into a fund controlled by Mr Warner. In a passionate defence of South Africa’s integrity, Mr Mbalula railed against those who sought to be “world policemen”, adding “we believe in multilateralism not unilateralism”. He added: “It is for the British and the Americans to fight their battles and… we’ll never be part of the vested interests. We have fought colonialism and defeated it and we still fight imperialism and we will fight it whenever it manifests itself.”
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following an incident on the club’s FA Cup bus tour. An FA statement read: “It is alleged his conduct in making and/or inciting certain comments during the trophy tour was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.” The midfielder has until 6 pm on 10 June to respond to the charge.
Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria Football Federation says “Blatter feels Africa, he sees Africa and he has imparted so much. What Blatter pushes is equity, fairness and equality among the nations. We don’t want to experiment.”
Rafa Benitez cried openly as he was officially unveiled as Real Madrid’s new manager on Wednesday. The Spaniard is a former manager of Liverpool, Chelsea, Valencia and Napoli, but it was at Real Madrid that he cut his teeth as both a player and a coach – and emotion got the better of him as he returned to his boyhood club after almost 20 years. “I’m returning home,” Benitez told assembled media at his press conference. “It’s a unique opportunity. This is a difficult moment because I simply don’t know how to describe the emotion.” “It’s an exciting day. I’ve returned home. I’m already excited. “I want to win trophies and for the team to play well, and I’m thankful for the trust placed in me.” Fans were quick to react to Benitez’s weeping – some sarcastic, others genuinely affected by the sight of a man who has reached what will in all probability prove to be the defining job of his career.
England and Sunderland footballer Adam Johnson has arrived at Durham Crown Court to face child sex charges. He has been charged with three counts of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and one offence of grooming. He has formally pleaded not guilty to a number of allegations of sexual activity with a child. The 27-year-old was arrested in March and denied the charges at Durham Crown Court.
Real Madrid have confirmed that Rafa Benitez will be presented as their new coach today at 12:00 noon. The Spanish club say he will sign a three-year deal. The 55-year-old ex-Liverpool boss ended a two-year stint with Napoli following a 4-2 home defeat by Lazio on Sunday. “I am enthusiastic and happy, although there are things that still need to be discussed,” Benitez said upon his arrival in Madrid. Madrid-born Benitez will replace Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked last week just a year after winning the Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
Brendan Rodgers is to stay as Liverpool manager following a meeting with the club’s co-owner Tom Werner. Werner met the 42-year-old Reds boss in the city on Tuesday as part of his end-of-season review. Liverpool finished sixth in the Premier League last season and missed out on a place in the Champions League. But Rodgers and Werner agreed on a “comprehensive plan” aimed at ensuring performances improve next season.
FIFA says it paid $10m (£6.5m) to a Caribbean football body led by Jack Warner, who is charged by the US with corruption, at South Africa’s request, BBC reports. South Africa’s instruction was that the money was for a Diaspora Legacy Programme which should be “implemented directly” by Mr Warner, FIFA said. The US says the $10m was a bribe in exchange for Mr Warner supporting South Africa’s 2010 World Cup bid. Mr Warner and South African officials have denied any wrong doing. South Africa won the bid ahead of Morocco to become the first African country to host the World Cup.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is being investigated by US officials as part of their inquiry into corruption at the world football body, US media say. US officials quoted in the New York Times said they hoped to gain the co-operation of some of the FIFA figures now under indictment on charges of racketeering and money laundering to try to build a case against Mr Blatter.The news came hours after Mr Blatter, 79, announced that he was stepping down from his role. US prosecutors launched a criminal inquiry last week, with seven FIFA officials arrested in Switzerland, part of a group of 14 people indicted. Two days after the arrests, Mr Blatter was re-elected president of FIFA. However, he said on Tuesday that it appeared the mandate he had been given “does not seem to be supported by everyone in the world”. Mr Blatter said: “FIFA needs profound restructuring.” He said he would continue in post until an extraordinary congress is called to elect a new president. No dates have been set, but it is expected to take place between December 2015 and March 2016.
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