The Premier League has announced the nominees for its Player of the Month award:
The nominees for Manager of the Month are:
The winner will be announced on Friday 18 November.
Former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is set to earn a reported £11m a year after taking over Chinese Super League team Shanghai SIPG. He replaces former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who left the club on Thursday after two years in charge. Shanghai finished second and third in the league under the 68-year-old Swede. “Andre Villas-Boas is the leading young manager in European football, with a huge amount of passion and coaching experience,” a Shanghai statement said. “We are convinced his arrival will enrich the tactical nous of the team, unearth the potential of our young talents and guide our club to scale new heights.” Portuguese Villas-Boas, 39, had been without a job since leaving Russian side Zenit St Petersburg at the end of last season.
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has apologised to the club over comments made by his agent Dimitri Seluk, which has led to the midfielder not playing since 24 August and not featuring in any Premier League game this season. Seluk said Toure had been “humiliated” when he was not included in City’s Champions League squad. City boss Pep Guardiola then said: “I cannot accept as a coach, when his player doesn’t play, going to the media to speak and speak and speak.” In a statement on Facebook, Toure wrote: “I wish to apologise – on behalf of myself and those who represent me – to the management team and all those working at the club for the misunderstandings from the past.”
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi said he is determined to keep a clean sheet and justify his call up to replace injured first choice keeper Carl Ikeme for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Uyo. Akpeyi said he considers the late call up as a rare honour and privilege even though he was cocksure he merited the early invitation. “Of course, I consider it always an honour and privilege to serve my fatherland, I’m happy with the call up as I’m 100 percent fit and determined to justify my inclusion in the game against the Algerian side.
Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan will miss the 2018 World Cup showdown against Egypt on 13 November. The Black Stars captain is not expected to recover in time from the knock he picked up while training with his UAE club, Al Ahli on Tuesday. The 30-year-old is Ghana’s all-time top scorer with 48 goals but has had a rough time with injuries recently. Black Stars coach Avram Grant was hoping to have Gyan back for the must-win game against the Pharaohs. Egypt will host the Black Stars at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper of Gambia’s national women’s football team has drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe. Fatim Jawara was on board a boat that ran into trouble last month while crossing from Libya to Europe, the country’s football association says. Her family confirmed news of her death, according to association president Lamin Kaba Bajo. Many of the undocumented migrants who arrive in Italy are Gambians. Jawara made her debut with the women’s side a year ago, after playing in the national junior team. “She will be remembered for saving a penalty kick in a friendly encounter involving the national soccer team and the Glasgow Girls from Scotland,” Mr Bajo told AFP news agency. More than 4,200 migrants fleeing conflict and poverty have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean this year, figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show.
The nominees are:
Leicester City have confirmed that Kasper Schmeichel has fractured his hand and will see a specialist in London later today. The Denmark international was on home soil on Wednesday night, as Claudio Ranieri’s side took on FC Cophenhagen on matchday four of the Champions League. Whilst the game ended 0-0, there was some bad news for Leicester’s No.1 who has already struggled with injury problems this season. Schmeichel lasted the full 90 minutes in the Danish capital, but fractured his hand during the game and now faces a spell out, Leicester have confirmed. The official statement read: “Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is set for a spell on the sidelines after fracturing his hand in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League draw in Copenhagen. “The Denmark international injured his right hand during the first half of the goalless draw at Parken Stadium and will see a specialist upon returning to the UK with the rest of the squad on Thursday.”
Gerd Muller (Football) – former Germany and Bayern Munich striker, born 1945.
Roswitha Krause (Swimming/Handball) – former German Olympian, born 1949
Larry Holmes (Boxing) – former world heavyweight champion, born 1949.
Ian Wright (Football) – former Arsenal and England striker, born 1963.
Dwight Yorke (Football) – former Aston Villa, Manchester United and Trinidad & Tobago striker, born 1971.
Colin Kaepernick (American Football) – San Francisco 49ers quarterback, born 1987.
West Ham striker Andy Carroll was held at gunpoint after training on Wednesday, Sky reports. A club statement said later on Wednesday night that the police were investigating an incident involving one of their players, believed to be Carroll. The statement said: “West Ham United can confirm an incident targeting one of our players on Wednesday November 2. The matter is now being handled by the police.” Carroll has not played for the Hammers since the Europa League qualifier against Astra Giurgiu on August 18, a game in which the England international sustained a knee injury. The problem was only meant to sideline Carroll for six weeks, but he has only just returned to training this week. The Hammers’ next game is against Stoke City at the London Stadium on Saturday.
Wednesday 2nd November, 2016:
Monaco 3 – 0 CSKA
Tottenham 0 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen
Borrusia Dortmund 1 – 0 Sporting Lisbon
Legia Warsaw 3 – 3 Real Madrid
FC Copenhagen 0 – 0 Leicester
FC Porto 1 – 0 Club Brugge
Juventus 1 – 1 Lyon
Sevilla 4 – 0 Dynamo Zagreb
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been given a one-match touchline ban for being sent off against Burnley. The Portuguese was sent to the stands by referee Mark Clattenburg for an incident “in or around the tunnel area during half-time” of the goalless draw. The Football Association also fined him £8,000 and he will serve the ban for the game against Swansea on Sunday. In a separate offence, Mourinho has been fined £50,000 for comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor who officiated Man United’s game with Liverpool at Anfield.
FIFA have released their shortlist for the coveted ‘Best FIFA Men’s Coach’ award for 2016, with a number of strong contenders that may prove difficult to separate. The ten-man list in full is:
The winner of award will be determined through a voting process which combines the choices of those involved in the game, as well as a public vote. 50% of the decision will be based on the choices of all captains and head coaches of national teams around the globe, while the other half of the vote will be split between the result of an online public ballot and submissions from a group of over 200 media representatives from the six continents.
Stevan Jovetic (Football) – Montenegro and former Manchester City striker, currently at Inter Milan, born 1989, 27 today.
Ken Rosewall (Tennis) – Australian who won eight grand slam singles titles, born 1934, 82 today.
Dario Silva (Football) – former Malaga, Portsmouth and Uruguay striker, born 1972, 44 today.
Liverpool striker Danny Ings has received another injury setback, as he requires surgery on cartilage damage in his right knee that will rule him out for up to nine months. Ings, 24, sustained the injury during the EFL Cup victory against Tottenham last week – his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury in his left knee last year. Liverpool say that the striker will make a full recovery. Coach Jurgen Klopp is “gutted” for Danny Ings, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. “To say we are gutted would be an understatement; he is such a great boy and has worked so hard that he deserves better luck than this,” he said. “It is typical of Danny’s personality, on and off the pitch, that he picked up this injury to his knee when courageously trying to win the ball back for his team by making a tackle. “But it is this same personality that means he will come back as good and as strong from this latest setback as he has done in the past.”
Tuesday 1st November, 2016:
Besiktas 1 – 1 Napoli
Basel 1 – 2 PSG
Ludo Razgd 2 – 3 Arsenal
Benfica 1 – 0 Dynamo Kiev
Borussia Monchen 1 – 1 Celtic
Manchester City 3 – 1 Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 2 – 1 FC Rostov
PSV Eindhoven 1 – 2 Bayern Munich
You may have seen the image on the right on social media recently. A Twitter post showing a sign outside the Scottish bar went viral after the author seemingly gave up attempting to spell “Monchengladbach” – instead opting for “A German Team”. Gladbach saw the funny side, changing their own English account’s Twitter handle to “A German Team” and using it on their team-sheet on social media when they faced Celtic in the Champions League. Moenchengladbach’s Head of Corporate Communications, Markus Aretz, says the club ordered 2000 “A German Team” scarves and they sold out pretty quickly so they’ve ordered 2000 more for tonight’s game.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been given a second Football Association charge in a week following his dismissal during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Burnley. Mourinho, who on Thursday was charged over comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor, was sent to the Old Trafford stands by Mark Clattenburg. He is accused of using abusive or insulting words to the officials in or around the tunnel area at half-time. He has until Friday to respond. The FA have acted after considering Clattenburg’s match report – possible punishments include a warning, fine, touchline ban or stadium ban.
IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend his title against Eric Molina in Manchester on 10 December. Joshua, unbeaten in 17 fights, was close to agreeing a bout with Wladimir Klitschko but the deal fell through. Promoter Eddie Hearn blamed confusion over whether the WBA title vacated by Tyson Fury would be on the line. American Molina lost his only previous world title shot against WBC world champion Deontay Wilder in 2015.
Silvio Gazzaniga, the sculptor who designed the World Cup trophy, has died. He was 95. Gazzaniga’s son, Giorgio, said his father passed away in his sleep at home in Milan. “He just didn’t wake up this morning. It was a peaceful death,” Giorgio Gazzaniga told The Associated Press on Monday, adding that his father had been in the hospital recently for a series of minor ailments. Silvio Gazzaniga designed and created the World Cup trophy in 1971 after Brazil retained the right to keep the Jules Rimet trophy by winning its third World Cup in 1970. “The World Cup is a mythic object for the players and for all football lovers,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “We will be eternally grateful. I express my condolences by joining the pain of the family.” The 18-carat solid gold trophy weighs approximately six kilograms (13 pounds). It depicts a moment of joy: two players celebrating with their arms outstretched and a globe resting on the backs of their shoulders.
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