Every now and then Barcelona superstar Neymar gets a huge amount of criticism for what people perceive as “showboating”, showing off skills without any real necessity to allegedly humiliate the opponent. He’s been criticized by fans, opposing players, coaches and even some football legends. But Neymar continues to do it time and time again, with the support of his Barça teammates and coach Luis Enrique. They don’t want Neymar to be anything other than himself, and that’s exactly what the Brazilian thinks as well. Neymar will always be the same player, and he claims nothing will be able to change his way of playing football. Neymar said: “I am not going to change, of course I won’t change. People have to know that when you go on the pitch I have my way of playing and my way of playing is this, to dribble, to score goals, to help my teammates and I’m happy playing this way. If people aren’t, there’s nothing I can do. In football you give elbows and kicks, but not everyone can dribble. I won’t change my way of playing.”
Chelsea’s Willian confirms the death of his mother….
Willian has confirmed on Facebook that his mother has lost her battle with cancer after surgery and chemotherapy treatments failed to send the disease into remission. The 28-year-old revealed that his mother, Dona Zeze, 57, was suffering from the illness back in September and that she was receiving treatment in his native Brazil. He has returned home to London and is no longer in contention to face Leicester City on Saturday, but he played and scored in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Venezuela on Sunday. In his last Premier League game against Hull City, Willian told Chelsea TV that his breakthrough goal was dedicated to his sick mother as he did his trademark pointing to the sky celebration after initially cheering with his teammates. Willian previously spoke about how his mother had a ‘two-and-a-half-year struggle’ with the illness and she will be buried on Thursday in the Ribeirao Pires district of Sao Paulo. Upon confirming the news, Willian posted a poem to his social media accounts to commemorate his mother and confirmed that he is in a period of mourning while Chelsea issued the following statement. “All of us at Chelsea Football Club are sending our love and deepest condolences to Willian and his family after the passing of his mother. We are thinking of you Willian.”
Messi and Ronaldo are side by side Maradona reckons….
Diego Maradona says there is nothing to choose from between Real Madrid and Barcelona rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The stellar pair’s ongoing rivalry has dominated the footballing landscape this decade, perhaps taking the baton from Maradona’s own dispute with Brazilian great Pele over which of them is the sport’s greatest player. Having emerged from the cursed shadow of a ‘next Maradona’ to establish his own legend, Messi has won eight Liga titles and four Champions Leagues in 12 years as a senior Barcelona player. Ronaldo, a four-time league champion in England and Spain as well as three-time Champions League winner, seized a crucial advantage over Messi in the race to be this era’s greatest this year as he captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory. Messi has lost all four of his major finals with Argentina and reversed a retirement after going down to Chile in this year’s Copa America finale, but Maradona maintains the Barca star remains at Ronaldo’s side.
Son Heung-min and Jurgen Klopp win September EPL awards….
Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp has been named Premier League manager of the month after leading the club to three consecutive wins in September, the first time the German has won the award. Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min won the player of the month prize for the first time after an impressive run of form. “I went into the office of my coaches and said, ‘We are manager of the month!’ I don’t need personal prizes but it’s nice now I have another one,” Klopp said. “We are on a good way but there are so many good teams in this league and so many difficult games for us, which we have to be ready for.” Liverpool host sixth-placed Manchester United on Monday and are three points ahead of Jose Mourinho’s men in fourth place in the standings. South Korean Son has stepped up in the absence of injured striker Harry Kane, scoring three league goals in September to help lift his team to second in the table behind Manchester City. “This is my dream, to get the award. I want to get it a second time, a third time. When I take the award home my family will be crazy like you can’t believe. They will be really happy,” Son said.
FIFA investigates Serge Aurier’s ‘throat slit’ gesture….
Paris St-Germain defender Serge Aurier is being investigated by FIFA after appearing to make a throat-slitting gesture to supporters. Aurier, 23, celebrated an Ivory Coast goal against Mali by turning to the crowd and dragging his hand across his throat. Governing body FIFA said a “preliminary investigation is under way”. The controversial celebration was the latest in a string of incidents involving the full-back. In September, he was sentenced to two months in jail for elbowing a police officer, but remains free pending an appeal. And in February, he was suspended by PSG after appearing to use homophobic language to insult then-coach Laurent Blanc. He had also called team-mate Angel di Maria a “clown” while answering questions from fans on social media app Periscope.
Mike Phelan named full time Hull City boss….
Hull City have appointed caretaker manager Mike Phelan as their new head coach. Phelan had been in temporary charge since Steve Bruce’s departure in the summer, with the club currently 15th in the Premier League table. A good start saw the 54-year-old named manager of the month for August. In September, Phelan revealed he was offered the job on a full-time basis but there had since been no contact amid the club’s search for a new owner. “I’m very relieved,” Phelan said on the club website. “It’s been a while in coming.” Phelan added he was “looking forward” to the first full-time management role of his career, saying: “It’s exciting to step over that threshold.” The newly-promoted Tigers surprised many by winning their first two games of the season despite a summer of turmoil and stretched playing resources.
Chelsea seal £60m Nike kit deal….
Chelsea have signed a 15-year kit deal with Nike worth £60m a season. Adidas was paying Chelsea £30m a season, but it will be replaced by Nike from next season. In May, Chelsea told Adidas they would be terminating their deal six years early in 2017. The west London club paid Adidas a £40m fee in order to curtail the agreement. Chelsea wanted to leave Adidas because the club were unhappy that they were receiving less than half of the £75m per year that Manchester United were receiving from the German multinational.
Koeman says he taught Guardiola all he knows….
Everton boss Ronald Koeman has spoken of the time he spent with Pep Guardiola when the two were at Barcelona during their playing days, saying how he taught the then young Spaniard everything he knows. Speaking to the Mirror, Koeman recalled his time with Guardiola and paid tribute to the Manchester City boss’ eagerness to learn and develop in his playing days. The two men will face off as managers this weekend when Koeman’s Everton side travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on the league leaders. The two managers are believed to be good friends, having met at the Nou Camp over 20 years ago and Koeman revealed how their paths had first crossed. He said: “[Then-Barcelona boss Johan] Cruyff had seen this young player in the academy, seen him develop into a decent player in the reserves and he thought the time was there to draft him into the first-team squad. According to Cruyff this boy was very bright, he had a quick brain and he needed a more experienced player to look after him. I told him it was fine (to have him as my new roommate).”
Milovan Rajevac quits as Algeria coach….
Milovan Rajevac has resigned as coach of Algeria after only two matches in charge of the Desert Foxes. His decision follows a 1-1 draw at home to Cameroon on Sunday in Group B of 2018 World Cup qualifying. The 62-year-old Serb met with the Algeria Football Federation president Mohamed Raouraoua on Tuesday to discuss the result, and his departure was announced shortly afterwards. Rajevac replaced Frenchman Christian Gourcuff, who left the job in April. Algeria’s next 2018 World Cup qualifier is away to Nigeria on 12 November. Only the group winners will qualify for the tournament in Russia.
Tyson Fury vacates WBO and WBA titles….
Tyson Fury has vacated his WBO and WBA world heavyweight titles to deal with his “medical treatment and recovery”. The Briton, 28, has admitted taking cocaine to deal with depression and looked set to lose his boxing licence. He has not fought since beating Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 and has twice withdrawn from scheduled rematches. “I now enter another big challenge in my life which I know, like against Klitschko, I will conquer,” Fury said. “I feel that it is only fair and right and for the good of boxing to keep the titles active.
Steve Bruce appointed Aston Villa manager….
Aston Villa have named former Hull City and Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce as their new manager. Former Manchester United captain Bruce, 55, who left Hull in July, succeeds Roberto di Matteo, who was sacked on 3 October, at Villa Park. Bruce, who has lived in the Midlands since first joining Birmingham as a player in 1996, takes over with Villa 19th in the Championship table. His first game in charge is at home to local rivals Wolves on Saturday. Bruce will become the sixth man to pick the Villa team inside the last 12 months. He then has matches against Reading and Fulham before returning to St Andrew’s for the Blues-Villa derby on Sunday, 30 October in only his second away match. “It is one of the big clubs of this country,” said Bruce. “To be given the opportunity to manage it is terrific. “I relish the challenge of trying to take the club where it wants to go and needs to be – and try to turn around the misfortune we seem to have had over the past few years.” Villa will begin life under Bruce 10 points behind Birmingham, the team occupying the last of the four play-off places in sixth.
McClaren surprisingly re-appointed as Derby boss….
Steve McClaren is confirmed as Derby County’s new head coach, just 17 months after he was sacked by the Championship club. “I am excited to be back at Derby County as the club’s manager and I have a great affiliation with the club, having been here on three previous occasions,” McClaren told Derby’s official website. “I’m really delighted at the prospect of finishing what we started back in September 2013. I regret how my time at Derby ended back in 2015 and am very motivated to put things right for the club and our supporters. “My ultimate aspiration remains exactly what it was before, to take Derby County back to the Premier League.”
That power cut moment as Venezuela hosted Brazil….
A power cut interrupted the World Cup qualifying match between Venezuela and Brazil in the Venezuelan city of Merida on Tuesday night. Brazil were leading 2-0 when the floodlights suddenly went dark in the 74th minute of play. The match had to be stopped for 22 minutes until some of the lighting went back on. During the blackout, some Venezuelan fans chanted anti-government slogans and called for a recall referendum.
Player suspended for betting on matches within his team’s league….
1860 Munich forward Ivica Olic has been suspended for two games and fined £18,000 for gambling on matches, including in the league he plays in. The German Football Association (DFB) said there was “no evidence of betting manipulation” and the 37-year-old had not bet on his own side’s matches. But its rules do not allow players to gamble, or use a third party to do so. The DFB said the bets, made between 26 August and 11 September, included nine on games in the German second division.
Kroos agrees new Real Madrid deal….
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has extended his contract until 2022. The 26-year-old, who arrived at the Bernabeu from Bayern Munich for a reported £24m in 2014, has scored four goals in 108 games for Real. Spanish newspaper AS claims Kroos’ new deal will earn him £346,000 a week.
Referee appointment for Liverpool v Man Utd criticized….
Former referee’s chief Keith Hackett has criticised the appointment of Manchester-based referee Anthony Taylor for Monday’s meeting of Manchester United and Liverpool. Taylor lives six miles from Old Trafford, which Hackett believes could lead to allegations of partiality. “No-one is questioning his integrity,” Hackett said. “But what if something goes wrong? It would be intolerable.” Taylor has no United ties and supports National League North side Altrincham.
Thieves steal from Romanian players’ hotel rooms in Kazakhstan….
Romania players said cash and personal items were stolen from their hotel rooms while they were training for their World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Tuesday. An adviser to Romanian Football Federation told DolceSport TV: “We didn’t find out who stole the money and all the objects.” At least 12 players had cash stolen while the team masseur said his tablet had also been taken. Romania are third in the group with five points from three games, two points behind leaders Montenegro. Kazakhstan are fifth with two points.
Giresse praises Aurier for saving Lamine Kone’s life….
Paris Saint-Germain and Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier has been praised after “saving the life” of Mali forward Moussa Doumbia on Saturday. After Doumbia was knocked unconscious in a challenge with Sunderland’s Lamine Kone, Aurier intervened to stop the Rostov player swallowing his tongue. Mali’s manager Alain Giresse added that he spoke to Aurier after the game to thank him for his “superb reactions”. Ivory Coast went on to win the home 2018 World Cup qualifier 3-1 in Bouake. “All the players realised that Doumbia was choking and was about to swallow his tongue,” Giresse told French radio station RMC. “That’s when Aurier, with one of our players, quickly put him on his side and pulled out his tongue, because he was about to lose his life.” However, Aurier later caused controversy by making a throat-slit gesture towards the crowd after his side’s third goal.
Cantona backs Mourinho to be successful at Man United….
Former Manchester United great Eric Cantona has backed Jose Mourinho’s squad to get back to challenging for top honours, three years since they last won the Premier League. “It’s just the beginning. Manchester can still be champions. Jose Mourinho is a successful manager at a successful club which this year has successful players,” the former French international told Portuguese daily newspaper, Publico. “But this is an extremely difficult championship, full of great teams and great managers like Pep Guardiola,” he added.
Marouane Chamakh joins Cardiff City….
Former Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has become Cardiff’s City third free-transfer signing in the past 24 hours. Chamakh, who was released by Crystal Palace at the end of last season, had previously attracted interest from Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock. The Moroccan, 32, has signed a deal until January to reunite with Warnock, who managed him at Selhurst Park. “I’m so happy to be here and work with the manager again,” Chamakh said. “I’m happy and proud to work with him here.” Chamakh joins Sol Bamba and Junior Hoilett as Warnock bolsters a squad second bottom of the Championship. The ex-Bordeaux striker thinks Cardiff can improve quickly under their new manager. “Cardiff are a side that should be on top and I think we can improve going forward,” he said. “I’m looking forward to meeting with my new team-mates and getting started. I can’t wait to score for my new team.” Warnock added: “We’ve signed Marouane on a short-term deal until January to assess his fitness. “He’s a versatile player with pedigree and somebody who impressed me during my time at Crystal Palace.” Chamakh, who has made 65 international appearances for Morocco, had a trial this summer with West Brom. Bamba, 31, has signed until 2018 and joins ex-QPR winger Hoilett at the Bluebirds.
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