12, June 2023
AC Milan pays tribute to Berlusconi 0
AC Milan, the football club which won a host of domestic and European titles under Silvio Berlusconi’s ownership, called him “unforgettable” in a tribute after his death aged 86 Monday.
“Thank you, Mr President. Always with us,” the club said in a statement, adding it was “grieving the passing of the unforgettable Silvio Berlusconi”.
“Tomorrow, we will dream of new ambitions, create new challenges, and seek new victories. Which will represent the good, the strong, and the true that lies inside us, in all of us who shared this adventure of binding our lives to a dream called Milan,” the statement continued.
Berlusconi reigned supreme at Milan from 1986 until 2017, during which time the club won 29 trophies, including five Champions League and eight Italian league titles.
Carlo Ancelotti, who won two Champions League titles as a player for AC Milan in 1989 and 1990 before then coaching the club to two more European successes in 2003 and 2007, led the tributes to the former club president.
“Today’s sadness doesn’t erase the happy moments spent together,” Ancelotti, the current Real Madrid manager, tweeted along with a photo of him standing beside Berlusconi.
“There remains infinite gratitude to the president, but above all to an ironic, loyal, intelligent, sincere man, fundamental in my adventure as a football player first, and then as a coach. Thanks President.”
AC Monza, the club Berlusconi and his long-standing business partner Adriano Galliani bought in 2018 after he sold AC Milan, said the former Italian prime minister’s death left an unfillable hole.
“Adriano Galliani and AC Monza mourn the passing of president Silvio Berlusconi,” the club said in a statement.
“A gap that will never be filled, forever with us. Thank you for everything presidente.”
When Berlusconi purchased Monza in 2018, the club was in the third tier of Italian football.
Berlusconi vowed to take Monza to Serie A and with the help of Galliani the team based near Milan reached the top flight for the first time in their history last season.
Monza will play in the Italian top flight again next season after finishing the just-completed campaign in 11th place.
A second former legendary coach of AC Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, hailed the memory of “a fabulous friend to whom I owe everything”, cited by the Ansa news agency.
Several other clubs also joined in tributes, including Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Italian champions Napoli expressing his “condolences”.
“Silvio Berlusconi changed the history of Italian football,” said Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian football federation.
“His contribution in terms of passion, innovation and investments, always with particular attention to the beautiful game, has been fundamental for the affirmation of our football at international level.”
Serie A president Lorenzo Casini added: “He made history… by taking Italian football to the roof of Europe and the world.”
France: AFP
12, June 2023
CAF Champions League: Al Ahly wins record-extending 11th title 0
Defender Mohamed Abdelmonem equalised on the night as Al Ahly of Egypt drew 1-1 at Wydad Casablanca of Morocco on Sunday to win the CAF Champions League for a record-extending 11th time.
His goal cancelled the lead Yahia Attiyat Allah gave the defending champions and earned the Cairo club a 3-2 aggregate victory after building a 2-1 first-leg lead seven days ago.
Ahly scored 27 goals in 14 matches en route to continental glory and four of them came from Egypt centre-back Abdelmonem.
Defeat for Wydad ended a run of two final victories over Ahly, and they paid the penalty for concentrating on defending their fragile second-leg lead instead of seeking further goals.
Unlike Europe, away goals count double in African club competitions when sides finish level on aggregate and Wydad would have retained the trophy had they won 1-0.
Ahly pocketed a record four million dollars for winning and Marcel Koller became the first Swiss coach to win the premier African club competition.
It was the third Champions League triumph in four seasons for Ahly after victories over fellow Egyptians Zamalek in 2020 and Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa the following year.
Wydad made two changes to the side that began the first leg in Cairo last weekend with attackers Mohamed Ounajem and Saifeddine Bouhra replacing Reda Jaadi and Zouhair el Moutaraji.
Veteran Ounajem was part of the Wydad team to beat Ahly in the 2017 final while Bouhra scored last Sunday after coming on as a late substitute.
Ahly made one change with fit-again first choice goalkeeper Mohamed el Shenawy returning in place of Ahmed Shobeir.
The second leg was the 13th time the African club giants had met in the Champions League with Ahly holding a 5-3 lead and four matches drawn.
Special occasion
Among the capacity crowd in the 65,000-seat Stade Mohammed V was Patrice Motsepe, a South African billionaire and president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
For referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa from Ethiopia it was a special occasion — his last match before retiring at the age of 42 after 14 years handling international fixtures.
As the first half got under way, an unfortunate feature of African football reared its ugly head again with green lasers pointed at visiting players to try and distract them.
Moroccan Ayoub el Amloud had the first clearcut chance just past the 10-minute mark, but after a dazzling dribble into the area, his tame, inaccurate shot posed no threat.
The Ahly strike force of Mahmoud Kahraba, South African Percy Tau and Hussein el Shahat had scored 15 Champions League goals before the second leg, but were unable to trouble Wydad early on.
Wydad broke the deadlock when an Attiyat Allah free-kick close to the touchline floated into the goalmouth, eluded El Shenawy, and landed in the far corner of the net.
Ahly made no headway before half-time as they tried to equalise and their frustrations led to yellow cards for Kahraba and El Shahat, while Bouhra was cautioned for time wasting.
Nobody was more relieved when a 51-minute opening half finished than the referee, who was battling to keep control of some bad-tempered Moroccans and Egyptians.
Midway through the second half smoke from flares restricted visibility leading to play being temporarily halted.
A set piece gave Wydad the lead and another one — a corner from Ali Maaloul — set up Abdelmonem to equalise with a glancing header into the far corner that stunned the crowd.
Ahly had plenty of second-half possession, but did not seriously threaten Wydad goalkeeper Youssef el Motie before levelling.
Source: AFP