Sports

1, August 2020

Cameroon star Bassogog hospitalised in China with coronavirus ⁰

Christian Bassogog, who starred in Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2017, became the second confirmed coronavirus case in the Chinese Super League on Friday.

The 24-year-old forward, who plays for Henan Jianye, is asymptomatic but is in hospital in Guangzhou, health authorities in the southern city said.

There is no health threat to the CSL, which started on July 25, because Bassogog has been in quarantine since arriving in China from Cameroon in mid-July.

Former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini was previously the only confirmed coronavirus case in China’s top football league.

The 32-year-old Belgian spent three weeks in a Chinese hospital before being released in mid-April.

He was not seriously ill and bounced back to score a seven-minute hat-trick of headers in Shandong Luneng’s season-opener on Sunday.

Bassogog, who was named best player at the 2017 Cup of Nations, was tested upon arrival on July 15 and was negative for coronavirus, Guangzhou health authorities said.

However, during quarantine he was retested and twice returned a positive result.

Henan, beaten 4-3 by Jiangsu Suning in their first match of the virus-delayed season, wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo: “The tougher (the situation is) the farther you go!

“Come on Bassogog! We’re waiting for you!”

Source: News 24

1, August 2020

Southern Cameroons: Vice President Yerima pays tribute to Stephen Tataw ⁰

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Dabney Yerima joined the football world in paying tribute to the former captain of the Indomitable Lions, Tataw Eta Stephen, who passed away suddenly. The Southern Cameroonian was just 57.

Stephen Tataw’s club career saw him play for two French Cameroonian sides Tonnerre of Yaounde and Olympic of Mvolye. He ended his playing time in Japan with Tosu Futures.

The FIFA 1990 World Cup in Italy earned Tataw legendary status where he was also admired for his combative and physical style. Reports even said he attracted the interest of the likes of Monaco and Bayern Munich.

Vice President Dabney Yerima observed in a tribute late yesterday that “The people of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia are devastated to have learnt of the tragic passing of Captain Stephen Tataw” “The thoughts of everyone both in Ground Zero and in the diaspora are with the Ossing and Tataw’s family, friends, former teammates and everyone he represented.”

By Isong Asu

31, July 2020

Stephen Tataw: Indomitable Lion’s Italia 90 World Cup captain dies ⁰

Former Cameroon captain Stephen Tataw has died at the age of 57.

He was most famous for leading the Indomitable Lions to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

That run included wins over Argentina, Romania and Colombia, as Cameroon became the first African side to reach the last eight.

Four years later in the United States it was not such a fairytale as they were knocked out in the first round, including a 6-1 thrashing by Russia.

Tataw’s club career saw him play for Cameroonian sides Tonnerre Yaounde and Olympic Mvolye.

He ended his playing time in Japan with Tosu Futures.

A cause of death has not yet been made public.

Source: BBC

26, July 2020

Football: Mourinho vows to get Tottenham back in top four next season ⁰

Jose Mourinho vowed to get Tottenham back “where we belong” next season after they settled for Europa League qualification at the end of a troubled campaign.

Mourinho led Tottenham to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.

Tottenham were 14th when Mourinho took charge in November following Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking and he endured a series of injuries to key players before the coronavirus hiatus.

So, while Mourinho was frustrated to have missed out on Champions League qualification, the Tottenham boss believes the foundations have been laid for a return to the top four next season.

“What we can do of course is improve. When all the players are available we showed in this last period where we belong. I don’t know, maybe in this period, after lockdown, we finished third or fourth in the table,” Mourinho said.

“So that’s where we belong. I want to have my team, my players, not a medical room full of players. I want a pitch full of players.

“Of course as a squad the main thing is to keep our very good players and after that improve the squad.

“Are we going to buy 10 players? No. Are we going to buy players for £100 million? No. We are going to improve.”

Mourinho oversaw a six-game unbeaten run to deliver Europa League qualification, overturning a seven-point gap to sixth place after a loss at Sheffield United earlier this month.

While the Europa League doesn’t have the prestige of the Champions League — in which Tottenham finished as runners-up last year — Mourinho said they should focus on winning the competition next season.

“Of course everybody that one day plays Champions League doesn’t want to go back and play Europa League but it was the only thing possible after such a difficult season for club,” he said.

“Arriving 14th and handling things is not bad at all. I am quite happy next season we play in Europa League and it’s just a question to motivate ourselves for that competition and try to motivate the fans to support us and do something beautiful.”

Source: AFP

25, July 2020

Football: Mbappé injury spoils party as PSG win bad-tempered French Cup final ⁰

Paris Saint-Germain won the French Cup title on Friday but saw Kylian Mbappé limp off the pitch with an ankle injury as football returned to the country after a four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A lone Neymar goal in the 14th minute was enough to see off feisty Saint-Etienne on a bittersweet night for the Parisians, whose hopes of Champions League glory next month may have been dented by Mbappé’s injury.

The 21-year-old World Cup-winner was brought down by a clumsy tackle from Saint Etienne captain Loic Perrin in the 26th minute, with his right ankle turning as he fell. Perrin was duly sent off for the challenge.

Mbappé is a key player in PSG’s hunt for four titles this season. The French champions face Olympique Lyonnais in the League Cup final next Friday and have a Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta coming up next month.

The fixture at the Stade de France marked the return of French football after a four-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike the rest of Europe’s top leagues, which eventually restarted despite the health crisis, France’s Ligue 1 ended prematurely in March with PSG crowned champions for the seventh time in eight years.

French President Emmanuel Macron attended Friday’s final as per tradition, but fewer than 5,000 spectators were permitted at the 80,000-seater venue as part of stringent health regulations.

The contest got off to an eventful start with Yvann Maçon felling Neymar in the opening seconds to earn a yellow card and Saint-Etienne’s Denis Bouanga hitting the post in the fifth minute.

But it was the Parisians who scored when Neymar pounced on a rebound after an Mbappé shot was blocked by goalkeeper Jessy Mouli.

Ten minutes later, Perrin’s rough tackle put Mbappé out of the game. The Saint-Etienne captain was sent off in his last game and four other players were booked as tempers briefly flared.

Saint-Etienne kept finding ways into the PSG box even after going a man down, but missed out on adding to their six Cup wins.

Source: France 24

20, July 2020

Coronavirus: Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020 ⁰

The Ballon d’Or will not be awarded this year due to the extraordinary conditions created by the coronavirus pandemic, organisers France Football announced on Monday.

It will be the first time the trophy given for the world’s best men’s footballer has not been awarded since Englishman Stanley Matthews won the inaugural edition in 1956.

“There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met,” said Pascal Ferre, the editor of the magazine.

The COVID-19 outbreak saw all major football leagues shut down in March, with the German Bundesliga the first to resume behind closed doors in May.

France Football said it would be unfair to vote on the world’s best player when some leagues, including the French Ligue 1, cancelled their seasons early.

Ferre also suggested that it would not be right to judge players based on games played without spectators present.

“We believe that such a singular year cannot… be treated as an ordinary year,” he added.

“Two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge, without forgetting that the other games were played –- or will be played –- in unusual conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game).”

Lionel Messi won a record-breaking sixth Ballon d’Or last year.

The women’s Ballon d’Or, which was first awarded in 2018, has also been cancelled.

France Football added that it was looking forward to holding a ceremony in 2021, but that this year it would instead organise a vote for the all-time greatest men’s XI.

Source: AFP

17, July 2020

Football: Leeds promoted to Premier League ⁰

Leeds United were promoted to the Premier League on Friday after West Bromwich Albion’s 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield ensured the Championship leaders will end their 16-year exile from the top-flight.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were able to celebrate promotion without kicking a ball as second placed Albion’s failure to take three points guaranteed Leeds will finish in the top two.

“We are back. Leeds United are Premier League,” the club said on their Twitter account moments after the final whistle.

Leeds are five points clear at the top and they can clinch the Championship title with a draw against Derby at Pride Park on Sunday.

Albion’s defeat means third placed Brentford will reach the top-flight for the first time in 73 years if they win their last two games.

A tense 1-0 win over Barnsley at Elland Road, secured by Michael Sollbauer’s own goal, had moved Leeds to the brink of promotion on Thursday.

Now they can look forward to renewing old rivalries with Manchester United and Chelsea next season.

“It’s unbelievable and it’s still not sunk in,” Leeds captain Liam Cooper said.

“Our club, our fans and our players have sacrificed so much. We’ve been in the doldrums for 16 years.

“To lead this team to promotion back to where we know we’ve always belonged is unbelievable. We deserve it. We’ve been the best team all season.”

Bielsa has earned iconic status in west Yorkshire after the Leeds boss finally put his club back on the football map.

Midfielder Kalvin Phillips saluted Bielsa’s contribution, saying: “When the manager first came in I never thought I would be in this position two years down the line.

“He’s the best in the world. There’s no manager I would rather be under than Marcelo Bielsa.

“The Premier League is the best in the world and after 16 years we’re back in there.”

Despite warnings from Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, Leeds fans gathered outside Elland Road to celebrate, but their emotion was understandable.

Leeds are one of England’s biggest clubs, with their legion of fanatical fans following them around the country and regularly attracting home crowds of over 30,000 despite years of underachievement.

– Rich history –

Their long-awaited return to the top tier completes a turbulent journey that saw them become a laughing stock when they languished in third tier obscurity.

Leeds have been away from the Premier League for so long that Twitter and Instagram didn’t exist the last time they played in the top-flight.

So it was fitting that Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla took to Twitter to celebrate, writing: “We are BACK! We are in the Premier League! Yessssssssssss!

“Many days dreaming of this Day. We deserve it. Proud of this TEAM, proud of our supporters.”

Liverpool midfielder James Milner, who started his career at Leeds, tweeted: “Congratulations LUFC. Back where you belong.”

Leeds went through 14 different managers following their 2004 relegation from the Premier League, until the sleeping giant was awoken by former Lazio and Marseille boss Bielsa.

Bielsa has turned the tide at a tortured club infamously labelled the ‘Damned United’ by novelist David Peace and forever remembered as ‘Dirty Leeds’ in the minds of fans who saw their no-holds-barred style in the Don Revie era.

The 64-year-old Argentine led Leeds within touching distance of promotion in his first season, but they crumbled in the final weeks and were beaten in the play-of semi-finals by Derby.

Notorious for working his players so hard in training that they often burn out by the end of the season, Bielsa has benefitted from the coronavirus hiatus allowing his players to come back refreshed for the final furlong of the promotion race.

Champions of England in 1969 and 1974 under Revie, then in 1992 when Howard Wilkinson called the shots, Leeds have a rich history.

But since being relegated from the top tier, Leeds have stumbled from financial disaster off the pitch to despair on it.

Describing the club’s ascent to the heady heights of the Champions League in the early 2000s, former chairman Peter Ridsdale claimed he had “lived the dream”.

Their subsequent fall was a never-ending nightmare that hit its lowest ebb in 2007 when Leeds went into administration and were relegated to the third tier for the first time.

No wonder the much-travelled Bielsa, nicknamed El Loco for his intense personality, is so beloved after just two years in charge.

Source: AFP

17, July 2020

Football: Zidane’s Real Madrid clinches victory in Spanish league ⁰

There was Zinedine Zidane again, being thrown into the air by his Real Madrid players in another title celebration.

With the Frenchman back in charge, Madrid is back to collecting major trophies.

Madrid clinched its 34th Spanish league title — and first since 2017 — after extending its perfect run following the pandemic break with a 2-1 win over Villarreal on Thursday, opening a seven-point gap to second-place Barcelona with one round to go. Barcelona lost to 10-man Osasuna at the Camp Nou Stadium.

Karim Benzema scored twice to give Madrid its 10th consecutive league victory. It was the only team with a perfect record after the coronavirus-enforced break, having trailed Barcelona by two points before the league was halted.

“This is one of the best days in my life professionally,” said Zidane, who also won the Champions League and World Cup as a player. “It’s another league title, after the confinement and everything else that happened. I wish we could celebrate with the fans, but I’m sure they are very happy at home seeing their team win the league again.”

Zidane quit as Madrid coach in 2018 after leading the team to three straight Champions League titles, then returned less than a year later with the team floundering. In his first full season back in charge, Madrid wrested the league title away from Barcelona for the first time in three years.

It was also Madrid’s first league title since Cristiano Ronaldo left to join Juventus two seasons ago.

The title celebrations were subdued as the triumph came with Madrid playing at its training center because the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium remains undergoing renovation work.

Fans have not been allowed into games since the pandemic, and Madrid had warned supporters not to gather at the team’s traditional celebration spots in the Spanish capital. Most of the early celebrations came from fans honking their car horns across the city’s streets.

Captain Sergio Ramos lifted the trophy at the empty Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium as confetti went into the air behind him and his teammates. Players later threw Zidane into the air a few times, then they all posed for photos in front of one of the goals.

“It has been a strange season after everything that has happened,” said Ramos, who won his fifth Spanish league title. “After the confinement we knew that we had to win every match to clinch the title. There was no margin for error.”

Barcelona had won the last two league titles but stuttered after the break, drawing three times and losing once after the league resumed.

Benzema — one of Madrid’s key players this season — opened the scoring with a shot from inside the area in the 29th minute and added to the lead by converting a penalty in the 77th, reaching 21 league goals and moving within two of scoring leader Lionel Messi, who netted for Barcelona against Osasuna.

Benzema’s goal from the penalty spot came after Ramos’ initial attempt was called back after he just rolled the ball sideways to Benzema to score. The French striker had entered the area too soon and the penalty had to be taken again.

Luka Modric set up Benzema’s first goal after a breakaway that started near midfield.

Fifth-place Villarreal pulled one back with a header by Vicente Iborra in the 83rd. It was denied an equalizer by a great save by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in stoppage time.

Madrid’s Marco Asensio had a goal disallowed moments later.

Barcelona falters

Barcelona needed to win its match and hope Madrid slipped up. Instead it lost 2-1 at home against midtable Osasuna.

Messi scored his league-leading 23rd goal from a free kick in the second half to cancel out José Arnaíz’s opener.

Osasuna lost substitute Enric Gallego to a direct red card for bloodying the mouth of Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet with an elbow to the face in the 77th.

But Osasuna’s Roberto Torres scored in stoppage time with Barcelona pushing forward searching for a late goal.

It was Barcelona’s first home loss in the league since a 4-3 result against Real Betis in Nov. 2018.

Messi said it was “not the way” Barcelona wanted to end the season.

“Madrid did its part by winning all its matches, which is impressive, but we also helped them to win this league,” Messi said. “We have to be critical of how we have played, starting with the players, and for the rest of the club.”

Other results

Mallorca became the second team to be relegated after a 2-1 loss to Granada at home. Espanyol had already been demoted. Leganés keep its chances of survival alive thanks to a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao. Celta Vigo stayed just outside the relegation zone after a 3-2 loss against Levante at home.

Third-place Atlético Madrid won 2-0 at seventh-place Getafe, while fourth-place Sevilla drew 0-0 at sixth-place Real Sociedad. Valencia moved into eighth place to keep alive its hopes of grabbing a Europa League spot after a 1-0 win against last-place Espanyol.

There was a total of nine red cards handed out during the 10 games.

(AP)

12, July 2020

Jack Charlton, icon of English and Irish football goes home to rest ⁰

Few players or managers have enjoyed World Cup glory with two countries but Jack Charlton, who has died aged 85, was held in rare affection by English and Irish football supporters.

The World Cup may have brought the best remembered moments of his career but Charlton had no shortage of success at club level during nearly 45 years as a player and manager.

Charlton, a tall, no-nonsense central defender, was part of Alf Ramsey’s England team which won the World Cup in 1966, playing in the same side as his brother Bobby.

As a manager, he took Ireland to their first World Cup, in Italy in 1990 and led them to the quarter-finals of the tournament, which remains the country’s best performance.

Awarded an OBE in 1974 and given honorary Irish citizenship in 1996, after his death was announced in a family statement on Saturday, Charlton was described by the country’s former Prime Minister Leo Varadkar as “Ireland’s most loved Englishman”.

He was a proud Northumbrian, from the mining village of Ashington, but spent his entire club career with Leeds United.

Loyal to Leeds

Charlton was a central part of the Yorkshire club’s golden era in the 1960s and 70s under Don Revie, winning trophies at home and abroad and making a club record 773 appearances.

His popularity crossed generations and football loyalties, with many Northern English school kids in the 1970s enjoying his passionate and unscripted coaching in the Tyne-Tees television series “Play Soccer – Jack Charlton’s Way”.

After leaving school, Charlton had briefly worked, like his father, in the mines at Linton colliery but it was not for him and he was on the brink of joining the police force when he went to Leeds United in 1952.

Despite his boyhood affection for Newcastle United, Leeds was an obvious choice given his uncle Jimmy Milburn played for the club at the time and two other uncles, Jack and George Milburn, had also played for the club.

His early years, with Leeds in the second division and Charlton sometimes asked to play at centre-forward, offered little sign of the glory that was to come under Revie.

At one point Charlton met with Manchester United manager Matt Busby to discuss a transfer which would have seen him team up with his brother at Old Trafford.

But he stayed with Leeds until he retired from playing in 1973 and, with his rugged defending and leadership role on the field, was part of the team which won the English league title in 1969 and FA Cup in 1972.

He also enjoyed success in European football as Leeds won the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, later the UEFA Cup and now the Europa League, in 1968 and 1971.

England career

Charlton’s England career began relatively late. He was almost 30 when he made his debut against Scotland at Wembley in 1965 but, as with his tackling, the timing was perfect.

Just over a year later, playing alongside captain Bobby Moore and with his brother in midfield, Charlton became a World Cup winner as hosts England beat West Germany 4-2 in the final.

He retired from international duty after the 1970 World Cup and following three more seasons with Leeds he ended his playing career and moved into management with second division Middlesbrough.

In his first season in charge, ‘Boro won the title by 15 points earning promotion to the top flight where Charlton established them before leaving in 1977.

He applied for the England job after Revie’s departure but said he never received an answer to his application.

Charlton dropped into the third division to manage Sheffield Wednesday and it was there that he adopted the direct, physical style that was to prove so effective later with Ireland.

The Owls won promotion in 1980 but, despite a run to the FA Cup semi-finals, he was unable to take them to the top flight and left in 1983 for a short spell at Newcastle.

Managing the Irish team

Taking over the Irish national side in 1986, Charlton secured qualification for the 1988 European Championship, the first time the country had reached an international tournament although they failed to get out of the group stage.

Then came their first World Cup in 1990, after Ireland had beaten Spain, Malta, Hungary and Northern Ireland to qualify for the biggest stage for the first time.

Despite drawing all their games in the group stage at the finals, Ireland went through to meet Romania in the last 16, beating them on penalties after a goalless draw before losing 1-0 to Italy in the quarter-finals.

The team – and their manager – captured the imagination of the Irish public and four years later, in the United States, they did so again, this time beating Italy in the group stage before losing 2-0 to the Netherlands in the last 16.

“He changed everything about Irish football… Jack came in and changed that mentality… His legacy within Ireland is absolutely huge,” said midfielder Ray Houghton.

Those who knew Charlton certainly have no shortage of stories about his humour and forthright opinions which made him one of the great characters of the game.

(REUTERS)

10, July 2020

Boxing: Carlos Takam Wins Decision ⁰

Carlos Takam physically suffered more than he bargained for in taking a short-notice assignment, but one where his career will benefit moving forward.

The 39-year Cameroonian heavyweight prevailed via unanimous decision over Jerry Forrest in their 10-round main event Thursday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Judge Max DeLuca had the bout 98-92, with judge Patricia Morse Jarman scoring the contest 97-93 and Dave Moretti a little closer at 96-94 all in favor of Takam, who stepped into the main event on just two weeks’ notice.

The makeshift main event came on relative short notice for both boxers. Forrest was originally due to face Jarrell Miller, the disgraced unbeaten heavyweight who threw away yet another big opportunity after once again providing a dirty drug test through pre-fight random testing.

Luckily for Forrest, the DiBella Entertainment-promoted heavyweight was able to keep a fight date on Top Rank’s show. In came Takam, who was previously training for another ESPN bout only for the opportunity to fall through when scheduled opponent Oscar Rivas suffered an elbow injury and was forced to withdraw.

“The preparation for this fight was not easy,” the 39-year old Takam admitted to Bernardo Osuna after the bout. “I was supposed to fight June 14 veruss Rivas but Mr Rivas could not fight because he had an injury. My promoter (Joe DeGuardia, Star Boxing) called me and said he had a fight for me.

“I checked out Jerry Forrest and said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ He asked if I was sure. I told him I’m ready to fight anybody.”

The lack of full preparation for one another showed in an awkward opening round. Takam—who represented Cameroon in the 2004 Olympics—put his size advantage to use, his well-proportioned 245 ¾-pound frame used to outmuscle his southpaw foe whom he outweighed by 20 pounds.

Both boxers looked sharper in round two. Takam bounced on his toes while Forrest came forward in hopes of working his right jab. Takam’s long left stick was enough to keep the Virginia-bred heavyweight on the outside for much of the frame. Forrest closed the gap, connecting with a left hand which forced Takam—a 39-year old Cameroon native now based out of the greater Las Vegas area—to clinch. Takam closed the frame with a sweeping right hand upstairs.

Forrest grew tentative in round three, struggling to pin down a mobile Takam and failing to let his hands go. A similar pattern played out in round four, where Takam mixed it up between infighting and bouncing on his toes on the outside. Forrest was unable to time the rhythm of the 39-year old contender, resulting in his falling well behind.

Takam continued to outwork a reluctant Forrest in a sloppy round five marred by frequent clinching. A cut over Takam’s eye seemed to have dulled his own attack, though his simply remaining active was enough to continue banking rounds.

Forrest connected with a left hand in round seven, a point in the fight where he seemed poised to turn the tide. Takam shook off the blow, but his own offense was dulled as the sight of his own blood and the pain of a suspected fractured cheek bone appeared to have affected his performance in the second half of the fight.

Takam effectively circled away from Forrest’s left hand throughout round eight, Action continued to be sorely lacking in the slow-paced main event, with neither fighter letting their hands go in the later rounds. Takam scored the best punch of the frame, connecting with a right hand as Forrest dropped his left hand low.

Round nine was marred by frequent clinching as the pair of heavyweights fought through fatigue. Takam fought behind a flicking jab, while Forrest moved forward but did little once he made his way inside.

Forrest was given the marching orders by head trainer Anthony Chase to go for the knockout as the bout entered the 10th and final round. Instead, it was Takam who took the initiative, connecting with lead right hands, Forrest fought behind a range-finding jab, hoping to land a straight left behind it but never pulling the trigger. A left hand finally connected for the 32-year old southpaw late in the round, but lacked any follow-through as Takam was able to clinch and recreate distance.

Takam led in every statistical category according to Compubox. Takam landed 106 of 455 punches for a 23% connect rate, including 30 body punches. Forrest—seven years Takam’s junior—landed 70 punches out of just 321 thrown for a 22% clip as he falls to 26-4 (20KOs), suffering his second loss in his last three starts.

A narrow defeat by Forrest to Jermaine Franklin last July was met with dispute by most observers, although the Newsport News native remains without a signature win while leaving Vegas with a lot of regret.

Meanwhile, Takam advances to 39-5-1 (28KOs), The win is his fourth straight win after suffering back to back knockout losses to unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua and fellow former title challenger Dereck Chisora.

While another title shot is in his sights even in the twilight of his career, the veteran contender wouldn’t mind making use of his prior training camp as a springboard to such a fight.

“I want to get me Oscar Rivas,” Takam suggested of his next opponent. “I want anyone in the top five at heavyweight or a world title shot if that materializes.”

BoxingScene.com