Sports

18, December 2020

Schalke 04: Come Back Rudi Assauer ⁰

The Bundesliga’s bottom club Schalke 04 on Friday confirmed the sacking of Manuel Baum after just 79 days as head coach, with Huub Stevens returning for his fourth stint to try to end their 28-game winless streak in the league.

Schalke are already on their third coach this season as Stevens, 67, replaces Baum, who was appointed on September 30 after predecessor David Wagner was sacked.

At the time, Baum was described as the club’s “last bullet” in the fight against relegation.

Wednesday’s 2-0 home loss to Freiburg left Schalke three matches short of the league record of 31 games without victory, set by Tasmania Berlin in 1965/66.

This Saturday’s home meeting with Arminia Bielefeld, who occupy the relegation play-off spot, is a chance for Schalke to claim a first Bundesliga win since January.

After nearly 30 years in Germany’s top flight, Schalke are six points from safety.

“The game against Bielefeld has enormous meaning for our club,” said Schalke director Jochen Schneider.

“The team needs a new impulse and we trust Huub Stevens and (his assistant coach) Mike Bueskens to bring just that.”

Stevens is a club legend having steered Schalke to their 1997 UEFA Cup final triumph, beating Inter Milan on penalties when Bueskens was in the side.

Stevens last stepped in at Schalke when Domenico Tedesco was sacked in March 2019.

The Dutchman led the team to a 4-2 win at arch rivals Dortmund the following month which kept Schalke in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2018/19 season.

“That was definitely the last time,” Stevens insisted at the time, yet just over 18 months later he is back.

The Gelsenkirchen club, who have huge debts, are taking a financial gamble with Wagner and Baum, who both signed contracts until 2022, still on their payroll.

Source: AFP

16, December 2020

Covid-19 Party: Cameroon keeper Fabrice Ondoa sacked by KV Oostende ⁰

KV Oostende has terminated Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa’s contract with immediate effect after he organized a party during Belgium’s ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.

According to the club website: “During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Ostend police were called up because of noise nuisance in the apartment building of Fabrice Ondoa in the Koningsstraat.

“It turned out to be a lockdown party in which ten people violated all corona measures.

“When the police arrived, they were also verbally harassed by the revelers and 11 police reports were drawn up.”

Ondoa though was unhappy by the way the club handled the situation and denied holding a party.

“I just heard the news this (Tuesday) afternoon in an e-mail almost at the same time as the press,” he posted on social media.

“They are taking such a serious decision without even bothering to hear me. I just got a letter from their lawyer. It’s scandalous!”

“If they had bothered to invite me to explain, they would have understood that I have done nothing wrong. I have not organized anything at all and it sure wasn’t a lockdown party.”

The club’s executive president Gauthier Ganaye said 24-year-old Ondoa’s behaviour was unacceptable.

“As a football club, we cannot tolerate such selfish and irresponsible behaviour,” he said.

“We are relieved that we have not had any Covid contamination so far and we are doing everything we can to keep it that way.

“That is why we always remind our players of their duties and they also assume their responsibility.

“KVO as a club is above the individual and given the seriousness of these facts, we therefore feel compelled to initiate the dismissal procedure against Fabrice Ondoa.”

Ondoa had been with Oostende since 2018 and had been second-choice keeper this season behind Guillaume Hubert.

Source: BBC

14, December 2020

Football: French coach and ex-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier dies at 73 ⁰

Former France manager Gerard Houllier, who also coached Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool, has died, local media reported on Monday.

RMC sport and sports daily L’Équipe said he had died aged 73 after having a heart operation in Paris.

Houllier had a long history of heart problems, dating back to when he was rushed to hospital at halftime of a Premier League game between Liverpool and Leeds United in 2001.

After an insignificant playing career in France’s lower leagues, Houllier began coaching in 1973, earning his first big job with Lens before taking over at Paris Saint-Germain.

He became France’s assistant coach in 1988 and then manager in 1992 but had a short, unsuccessful spell in charge and resigned after failing to take the team to the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

France have qualified for every World Cup since then, lifting the trophy in 1998 and 2018.

Houllier focused on youth coaching immediately after the World Cup debacle but rebuilt his reputation at Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001.

He also had success back in France with Lyon, leading them to back-to-back Ligue 1 titles.

He returned to management after taking a break in 2010 with Aston Villa but left the role the following year following further heart troubles.

Source: REUTERS

13, December 2020

Football: Issa Hayatou to be made Honourable CAF President ⁰

Hayatou spent 29 years running the Confederation of African Football and will be granted the status of honorary president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) next month at a special ceremony in his home nation Cameroon.

Hayatou is the longest-serving ruler in Caf’s history, having led the African football body from 1988 to 2017.

The 74-year-old was made an honorary vice-president of Fifa after losing the elections three years ago, and now Caf is following suit.

“This distinguished leader presided over Caf for 30 years… and this honour salutes his immense role in the development of African football,” Caf said in a statement.

The decision to make Hayatou an honorary president was a proposal by the Executive Committee (ExCo) which the General Assembly approved yesterday.

The ceremony, which originally would have taken place in early 2020 but was postponed due to coronavirus, will take place in Yaounde on January 15, – a day before the African Nations Championship (Chan) kicks off in Cameroon.

Source: Thisday

10, December 2020

Football: Choupo-Moting opens Champions League account for Bayern Munich ⁰

The Cameroon international made a significant contribution for the Bavarians to help them secure an unblemished record in the group stage

Eric Choupo-Moting scored his first Champions League goal for Bayern Munich in their 2-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old was afforded his second start in the European competition and made the most of the opportunity to open his account for his side.

The Cameroon international teamed up with the Bavarians in the summer from French champions Paris Saint-Germain, and has been in fine form since joining the German Bundesliga side and reigning champions of the European Competition.

The game started with both sides aiming to outwit each other but failed to find the back of the net before the end of the first half.

After the restart, however, Niklas Sule broke the deadlock powering home a fine header beyond the reach of goalkeeper Guilherme. Choupo-Moting then doubled Bayern Munich’s lead with a perfect finish, his third goal for the club since his arrival at Allianz Arena.

The attacker featured for the duration of the game in his ninth appearance across all competitions for the club.

The victory ensured the German side reached the next stage of the Champions League without dropping a single point in the group stage.

Hans-Dieter Flick’s men secured 16 points from six games, finishing above Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Choupo-Moting will hope to continue his fine form in front of goal when Bayern Munich take on Union Berlin in their next league game on December 12.

The forward had previously featured for Hamburger SV, Mainz 05, Schalke 04 before moving to England to feature for Stoke City. He left the club to team up with PSG following their relegation from the Premier League and shone during his time in France.

Choupo-Moting is currently Cameroon captain and has made more than 50 appearances for the Indomitable Lions.

Source: Goal.Com

9, December 2020

Africa Cup of Nations: Gambia fined for letting Gabonese team sleep on airport floor ⁰

Gambia was fined $100,000 for the unsporting reception accorded to the visiting Gabonese national team in November.

Gabon were in the west African country for a 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifier.

In its ruling published on Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) chided the hosts for non-compliance “with the loyalty, Integrity and sportsmanship values and rules of Fair Play”.

“The Disciplinary Board decided to impose upon the Gambian federation a fine of 100.000 USD (One Hundred Thousand US Dollars) of which 50.000 USD (Fifty Thousand US Dollars) are suspended on the condition that the federation is not found guilty of a similar offense within a period of twenty-four (24) months”, read part of the ruling.

The Gabon delegation were told they were not allowed to leave the airport because of an administrative problem and were forced to sleep on the floor before being allowed to leave in the morning after government intervention.

The incident garnered global attention after Arsenal captain and Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tweeted about it.

Gabon lost the tie 2-1.

Gambia and Gabon are in drawn in Group D along with Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

CAF also fined the Gabonese football federation $10,000 for ‘offensive and degrading material that undermines the honor and image of the Confederation of African Football’ published by Aubameyang.

Source: Africa News

9, December 2020

Racism in European Football: Turkish President condemns remarks made against Pierre Webo ⁰

Paris Saint-Germain’s decisive Champions League game with Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday was suspended in the first half as the players walked off amid allegations of racism by one of the match officials. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he “strongly” condemned the alleged racist remarks.

The row erupted after Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo, the former Cameroon international, was shown a red card during a fierce row on the touchline with staff from the Turkish club appearing to accuse the Romanian fourth official of using a racist term.

Television microphones picked up a furious Webo repeatedly asking why a racist term had been used to describe him.

The game at the Parc des Princes stopped in the 14th minute, with the players walking off around 10 minutes later.

Basaksehir’s Senegal international striker Demba Ba, among the substitutes for the away side, could be heard remonstrating with the official, saying: “When you mention a white guy, you never say ‘this white guy’, you just say ‘this guy’, so why when you mention a black guy do you say ‘this black guy?'”

“I strongly condemn the racist remarks made against Pierre Webo, a member of the Basaksehir coaching staff, and I believe that UEFA will take the necessary measures,” Erdogan tweeted after the incident.

The match, being played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, is decisive for PSG who need a draw to clinch qualification for the last 16 from Group H, which also contains RB Leipzig and Manchester United.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

8, December 2020

Football: Pogba wants to leave Manchester United ⁰

Manchester United star Paul Pogba is “unhappy” at Manchester United and should leave in the next transfer window, his agent Mino Raiola said in an interview with Italian media.

The French midfielder of Guinean descent was at one point the world’s most expensive player.

Raiola said the World Cup-winning France midfielder, 27, needs a “change of scene” after struggling to establish himself under United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“Paul’s unhappy at Manchester United, he can’t express himself any more as he would like to and as we expect of him,” Raiola told Italian newspaper Tuttosport.

He has to change teams, he needs a change of scene. His contract is up in a year-and-a-half, in the summer of 2022, but I think the best solution for all sides is a transfer in the next window.”

Pogba returned from a spell at Juventus for a then world-record fee of $118 million in 2016.

“The club… knows it risks losing him for nothing, as at the moment the player has no intention of extending his contract,” Raiola said.

It is not known where he will go next but Pogba has also expressed his desire to play for Real Madrid one day, particularly if that means playing under the orders of Zinedine Zidane.

The midfielder’s superb strike in Saturday’s 3-1 win over West Ham was his first goal in eight Premier League appearances this season.

Source: Africa News

7, December 2020

Football: Balotelli signs for Berlusconi’s ambitious Monza ⁰

Mario Balotelli has signed for Silvio Berlusconi’s team Monza on a deal until the end of the season, the Italian Serie B side announced on Monday.

In a statement, Monza said that striker Balotelli has signed a contract until the end of June, but did not disclose the Italy international’s wages.

The 30-year-old reunites with former Milan chiefs Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani, under whom he played over 2013 and 2014 and then on loan from Liverpool for the 2015-16 Serie A season.

He also rejoins former Milan teammate Kevin Prince Boateng, who signed for Monza in September.

Balotelli, who has scored 14 times in 36 appearances for his national team, played for his hometown team Brescia last season but couldn’t do anything to stop them from being relegated to second-tier Serie B.

Former Italian prime minister Berlusconi purchased Monza in September 2018 for around three million euros (today $3.6 million) having sold Milan for 740 million euros in April 2017.

The club from just outside Milan earned promotion from third-tier Serie C last season and are currently nine points off the automatic promotion places for the top flight.

Source: AFP

1, December 2020

Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt not for sale ⁰

Former England midfielder Steve Hodge has insisted the shirt worn by Diego Maradona in scoring two iconic goals against the Three Lions in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final is not for sale.

Hodge swapped shirts with Maradona, who died last week at the age of 60, at the end of the match in which the Argentine legend punched home what became known as the “Hand of God” goal and then ran from inside his own half to score a stunning second as Argentina won 2-1.

The shirt is now on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

Hodge said he had been inundated with enquiries over the shirt in recent days and dispelled rumours he was looking for a seven-figure sum to sell it.

“I have had it for 34 years and have never once tried to sell it,” Hodge, 58, told the BBC. “I like having it. It has incredible sentimental value.

“I’ve had people knocking on my door non-stop and the phone’s constantly ringing from every TV and radio station, and even foreign stations.

“It has been uncomfortable and it hasn’t been nice. I have seen articles on the internet and there has been a bit of flak flying around saying I wanted a million or two million and am hawking it around for money.

“I find it disrespectful and totally wrong. It’s not for sale. I am not trying to sell it.”

Hodge paid tribute to the “genius” of one of the greatest players the game has ever seen and said he never blamed Maradona for taking the chance of scoring with his hand.

“I have to say I have never once blamed him for the handball. Not once,” he added. “It was out of order but people who play football know that you try things now and again.

“From every corner of the globe he was respected and people appreciated the genius he had. That game will never be forgotten in the history of football.”

Source: AFP