Archive | March 31, 2016

Gary Neville sacked by Valencia….

Gary Neville

Valencia has announced the sacking of manager Gary Neville on Wednesday, as the former Manchester United and England defender lasted just four months in Spain. The 41-year-old, who is part of the England coaching set-up, was given his first managerial job in December. Valencia won three of their 16 league games under the former television pundit, and 10 of 28 games overall.

Allegations emerge of forced labour at Qatar World Cup site….

Qatar

Rights group Amnesty International has accused Qatar of using forced labour at a flagship World Cup 2022 stadium. Amnesty says workers at Khalifa International Stadium are forced to live in squalid accommodation, pay huge recruitment fees and have had wages withheld and passports confiscated. It also accuses FIFA of failing almost completely to stop the tournament being built on human rights abuses. Qatar said it was concerned by the allegations and would investigate.

Laporte out for season….

Aymeric Laporte

Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery following sustaining a broken leg on international duty. The 21-year-old injured his right leg in a tackle while playing for France Under-21s against Scotland on 24 March. Laporte has been strongly linked with a summer move to Manchester City, with reports in Spain claiming incoming boss Pep Guardiola has identified him as his number one transfer target.

Ola Adeyemo joins Watford….

Watford have signed Nigerian striker Ola Adeyemo after his successful trial with the Under-21 team. The forward started training with Harry Kewell’s Under-21 team in January and scored during their friendly victory over Reading. Former Dundee United striker Adeyemo, 21, went out to India with Kewell’s squad for the recent Nagjee Cup where the Hornets reached the semi-finals. Adeyemo also featured for the team in Professional Development League games against QPR and Millwall which helped secure a contract with the Under-21s. Born in England and brought up in Ireland, Adeyemo qualifies to represent Nigeria by descent and was called up to their under-23 team in January 2015.

Pele sues Samsung over $30m lookalike advert….

Pele in action in the 1970 World Cup final v Italy

Brazilian football legend Pele is suing South Korean electronics giant Samsung, after claiming the firm improperly used a lookalike in an advertisement. He is claiming at least $30m, according to legal papers lodged at the US District Court in Chicago. The advertisement for ultra high-definition televisions ran in the New York Times without Pele’s permission. It is alleged that Samsung ran the advertisement after breaking off negotiations in 2013 to use Pele’s image to promote its goods. According to the complaint, the ad – which does not name Pele – includes a facial photo of a man who “very closely resembles” him, and also a small picture of a footballer making a “modified bicycle or scissors-kick, perfected and famously used by Pele”. The iconic star now makes much of his income through product endorsements.

Continue reading

Sunderland set to terminate Eboue’s contract….

Emmanuel Eboue banned by Fifa for a year

Sunderland are set to terminate Emmanuel Eboue’s contract after the defender was suspended by FIFA from all football-related activity for one year. The 32-year-old, who joined Sunderland until the end of the season on 9 March, was given the ban after failing to pay money owed to a former agent. Sunderland said Eboue did not make the club aware of the matter, which relates to a dispute from July 2013. The Ivory Coast international has two weeks to appeal against the decision. Eboue, who has not made a first team appearance for the Black Cats, had been ordered by Fifa to pay agent Sebastien Boisseau an undisclosed amount he was entitled to under the terms of an agreement between the pair. The former Arsenal full-back was fined 30,000 Swiss francs (£21,000) in September 2014 and given four months to settle the matter. Eboue spent eight seasons at the Gunners after arriving from Belgian side Beveren in 2004. He moved to Turkey in 2011, where he won three Super Lig titles and five domestic trophies. He started training with Sunderland in February before signing a short term deal.