Archive | July 2016

N’Golo Kante joins Chelsea….

Chelsea have signed Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante on a five-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £30m. The defensive midfielder joined from Caen last summer for £6m and went on to make 40 appearances in Leicester’s Premier League-winning campaign. Kante, 25, was part of the France squad that reached the final of Euro 2016. “I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It’s a dream come true for me,” he said. Kante is Chelsea’s second signing of the summer after Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi joined from Marseille. “The opportunity to work with Antonio Conte, a brilliant coach, and some of the best players in the world was simply too good to turn down,” said Kante.

Shevchenko appointed Ukraine manager….

Andriy Shevchenko

Ukraine have appointed former AC Milan and Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko as their new manager. The 39-year-old, who won 111 caps, replaces Mykhaylo Fomenko, whose four-year spell ended with elimination at the group stage of Euro 2016. Shevchenko was his assistant as Ukraine lost all of their matches, against Germany, Northern Ireland and Poland. The former Dynamo Kyiv player, who retired in 2012, has never before worked as a manager. Ukraine’s record scorer with 48 goals, Shevchenko captained his country to their first World Cup finals in 2006. He has signed a two-year contract with the possibility of another two-year extension. Former Italy defender Mauro Tassotti, who was assistant coach when Shevchenko was at Milan, will join his coaching staff, as will former Dynamo coach Raul Riancho. Ukraine’s World Cup 2018 qualification campaign begins with a home match against Iceland in September. They are both in Group I along with Croatia, Turkey, Finland and Kosovo.

Kluivert appointed PSG director of football….

Patrick Kluivert

Paris St-Germain have appointed former Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert as their director of football. The 40-year-old leaves the Ajax under-19 job he had just taken this summer to work with new head coach Unai Emery at the French champions. Kluivert had spells with Ajax, Barcelona and Newcastle as a player and has been Netherlands assistant manager and managed Curacao’s national side. “I am extremely honoured to join such a great club,” he said. “I will conduct my mission with great ambition and rigour. We are all in Paris to reach the very high objectives set by the club and meet the expectations of the players and supporters alike. “As I am moving to Paris, I would also like to express my gratitude to Ajax Amsterdam, the club thanks to which I discovered top-level football and which has always given me their trust.”

Martin Skrtel joins Fenerbahce….

The 31-year-old  was pictured with a Fenerbahce scarf on Tuesday after landing in Turkey

Martin Skrtel has signed for Fenerbahce from Liverpool. The Turkish Super Lig side announced the deal with a tweet welcoming the Slovakian defender. Fenerbahce said the player would be presented to the media at 12pm on Friday. No details over the length of contract were immediately announced, and it has been reported that the Istanbul club paid Liverpool £5million for the 31-year-old. Skrtel joined the Reds from Russian club Zenit St Petersburg in January 2008 and was voted the club’s player of the season in 2011-12, when he scored in the League Cup final victory over Cardiff. He started 21 of Liverpool’s 38 Premier League matches in the 2015-16 season, suffering an injury against Watford in December which led to Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho forming a solid central defensive partnership in his absence. Skrtel played every minute of Slovakia’s Euro 2016 campaign, where the team reached the last 16 before being eliminated by Germany.

Coach Hossam Hassan spared jail with Facebook message….

Al Masry coach Hossam Hassan

Egypt’s all-time leading scorer Hossam Hassan has been spared a possible prison sentence – thanks to his daughter’s emotional Facebook message. Hassan was due to appear in court charged with assaulting a police photographer after a match. The photographer read the social media post and dropped his case against the former striker, who is now coach of Egyptian side Al-Masry. “Her words made me sad,” Reda Abdelmaged told reporters. “I saw what Hossam’s kid wrote on her Facebook when she said she was sad because she might see her dad in prison,” he added. “I decided to end the case as I love the city of Port Said [where Al Masry is based] and let me tell you that I love Hossam Hassan and his twin Ibrahim as they made the Egyptians happy.” The alleged incident happened as players and officials from Al Masry and Ghazl Al Mahalla clashed after the sides drew 2-2 in a league match on Friday.

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Yuliya Kalina told to return Olympic bronze medal for doping….

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Weightlifter Yuliya Kalina has been ordered to return her 2012 Olympic bronze medal over a doping offence. A blood sample taken during the London Games tested positive for banned substance Turinabol. The International Olympic Committee has ordered the Ukrainian to return the bronze medal “immediately”. The 27-year-old was one of 10 weightlifters who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs after competing at the London Olympics.

Samuel Umtiti joins Barcelona….

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Spanish champions Barcelona have completed the signing of France centre-back Samuel Umtiti from Lyon for 25m euros. The 22-year-old made his international debut in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals and appeared in the host nation’s 1-0 defeat by Portugal in the final. The five-year contract contains a buy-out clause of 60m euros. Umtiti made over 150 appearances for Ligue 1 side Lyon and won the Coupe de France in 2012. Barcelona confirmed Umtiti had completed his move on Tuesday after announcing in June they had agreed to sign the player.

Williams extends Chelsea contract….

Willian has committed his future to Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder Willian has signed a new four-year contract with the club. The Brazil international, who had two years remaining on his current deal, scored 13 goals in 59 games for the Blues last season. Willian, 27, joined from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for a reported £30m in 2013. “It’s a dream to continue with this club and over the next four years I will try to help the team win more trophies,” he said. Willian, who has scored 19 goals in 140 matches for Chelsea, was named player of the year last season as the club finished 10th in the Premier League. He has won 30 caps for Brazil since making his debut in 2011, scoring six goals.

Henry leaves role as Arsenal’s under-18 coach….

Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry has left Arsenal after manager Arsene Wenger said he could not combine his job as a television pundit with his role coaching the under-18s. Henry, 38, who worked with Arsenal’s youth players as part of his Uefa A Licence course, was not prepared to give up his media work. Ex-Gunners captain Tony Adams will take over as under-18s coach, with Freddie Ljungberg working with the under-16s. Henry must now find a team to coach in order to complete his Pro Licence. The former France forward is employed as a television pundit by Sky Sports and worked for BBC Sport during Euro 2016.

Adam Johnson refused bid to appeal….

Adam Johnson

Ex-England footballer Adam Johnson has been refused permission to appeal against his conviction for sex acts with a girl aged 15. Johnson, 28, was jailed for six years after being found guilty of sexual touching, but not guilty on a charge relating to another sexual act. The former Sunderland player had previously admitted grooming the girl and one charge of sexual activity. His sister posted on Twitter that she was devastated. Johnson’s trial at Bradford Crown Court in March heard that he had kissed and sexually touched the schoolgirl in his Range Rover, in a secluded spot in County Durham. A statement from his solicitor said: “We have received notification that Adam Johnson’s applications for leave to appeal against his conviction and sentence have been refused by the Single Judge. “He is obviously disappointed – having carefully considered all of the information, we will be lodging renewed applications on conviction and sentence in the coming days.”

Transfer fee of £1 paid for a Goalkeeper in England….

Colin Doyle

League One side Bradford have signed Blackpool goalkeeper Colin Doyle for a fee of just £1 after meeting a release clause in his contract. Doyle made 35 appearances for Blackpool last season but could not help them avoid relegation to League Two. The 31-year-old, who has signed a two-year deal, joined Blackpool in June 2015 after 12 seasons at Birmingham.

Bertrand signs new Southampton contract….

Ryan Bertrand

Ryan Bertrand has committed his future to Southampton, signing a new five-year contract. Bertrand, 26, has been a regular at Southampton since making the switch from Chelsea in 2014, initially on loan, before the move was made permanent in February 2015 for a reported £10m. The left-back, who was part of the England squad at Euro 2016 and played against Slovakia, said he was “very pleased” with the new five-year deal. “I look forward to many more successful years and really pushing forward as a whole,” Bertrand told the Southampton website.

FIFA President and Secretary to visit Nigeria….

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will meet senior football association leaders from across Africa on a two-day working visit to Nigeria in July. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said on Monday Infantino will arrive in Abjua on 24 July and will meet “a legion of African FA presidents”. Infantino, elected in February this year, will be accompanied by new FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura. NFF president Amaju Pinnick met Infantino for talks in Paris on Sunday. “The FIFA president and secretary-general will arrive in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Sunday 24th July on a two-day working visit to Nigeria,” Pinnick said on the NFF website. The statement said the FIFA officials will meet Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and hold a meeting “with a legion of African FA presidents, who are expected in Nigeria” at the same time. Nigeria is seen as one of the giants of African football even though the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the second time in succession. The NFF has been dogged by factional disputes over its leadership and FIFA has threatened Nigeria with suspension from international competition because of irregularities in the leadership voting process.

Vincent Janssen joins Tottenham….

Tottenham have signed Dutch striker Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar for £17m on a four-year deal. The 22-year-old scored 27 league goals in the Dutch top flight last season and netted a penalty on his international debut in March against England. He is Spurs’ second summer signing, after the £11m arrival of Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama. French champions Paris St-Germain and Wolfsburg were also reported to be interested in signing Janssen.

EURO 2016 List Of Awards….

Portugal squad with the European Championship trophy

UEFA EURO 2016 Player of the Tournament: Antoine Griezmann (France)

Young Player of the Tournament presented by SOCAR: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
 
UEFA EURO 2016 adidas Golden Boot: Antoine Grizemann (France)
 
UEFA EURO 2016 adidas Silver Boot: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
 
UEFA EURO 2016 adidas Bronze Boot: Olivier Giroud (France)
 
UEFA EURO 2016 Goal of the Tournament: Robson Kanu (Wales)

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg joins Southampton….

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Southampton have signed Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from German champions Bayern Munich for a reported fee of £12.8m. Hojbjerg, 20, was on loan at Schalke last season but his first-team chances at Bayern were reduced by the signing of Portugal’s Renato Sanches. Hojbjerg is the Premier League club’s second signing of the summer after winger Nathan Redmond from Norwich. “They have put trust in me. I want to show them they are not wrong,” he said. After signing a five-year deal at St Mary’s, he added: “When I heard Southampton came in for me I said to my people that this is what I want to do. “I can see myself at Southampton as it’s the way I like to think, the way I like to play and it fits me really well.”

Graziano Pelle joins Chinese side….

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Graziano Pelle has left Southampton to join Shandong Luneng, the Chinese Super League side, for an undisclosed fee. The Italy international, who is believed to have been valued at £13million, made 81 appearances for the south coast club, scoring 30 goals. Pelle, who was also linked with a move to Chelsea, arrived at St Mary’s in the summer of 2014 for £8million. The 30-year-old becomes the latest high-profile player to swap a major European league for China’s top flight, following the transfers of Jackson Martinez, Ramires and Ezequiel Lavezzi.