Picture from: freelargeimages.com
Review of the day
Pick up and drop off service
Fjotoft will join Hamilton College next season. Markus Fjortoft, 26, the son of former Norway international striker Jan Age and currently playing for Southern United in New Zealand, spent two weeks on trial with Assis before the club decided to sign him.
Gundogan could leave Manchester City
According to Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, he should know that Ilkay Gundogan does not want to renew his contract with Manchester City. Pep acknowledged Gundogan is entering the final year of his contract amid Inter Milan’s interest in the German midfielder, but there is no sign he has agreed to an extension. Guardiola said: “He has one year left on his contract and he doesn’t want to renew. But he is playing football.”
Giroud unhappy with substitute role
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has admitted he is frustrated at being relegated to the bench at Chelsea. The French striker left Arsenal after being stuck on the bench. Giroud said: “I get frustrated when I’m not on the pitch, but I just don’t want to show it. I’m not happy to be the second striker. I want to enjoy my football. This has to be decided at the end of the season. We will see what my future is because the club cannot sign any players at the moment. Yes, I have received offers from other clubs, but I can’t tell you yet.
Porter wants Swans to stay
Graham Potter had been linked with the Celtic job but the 43-year-old is happy with Swansea City, he has told the media. Porter spent seven years in Sweden and said he hoped to have a similar spell with the Swans. Porter said: “I enjoyed my time in Sweden. I was stable, we made progress and I’m expecting the same things here. You want the football club you’re working for to improve and progress and you hope the same for yourself. That’s what everyone should aspire to. I have a job to do here and I’m focused on that.
Middlesbrough lose defensive duo
Middlesbrough defenders Dale Frye and Daniel Ayala have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season. The centre-back pair have suffered long-term injuries and will spend the summer rehabilitating themselves. Fry strained his hamstring in training and will be out for around three months before returning, while Ayala came off against Hull City with what manager Tony Pulis described as “significant ligament damage”.
Forest owner accused of match-fixing
Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis has been charged with a crime again. In 2014, one of his tankers was found to be carrying more than 2 tons of heroin, which Marinakis claimed was a plot against him by jealous rivals. Marinakis will now stand trial for football corruption, drug trafficking and “criminal links”. Marinakis is one of 28 people accused of match-fixing, along with former referees and football federation officials. Marinakis was cleared of being part of a match-fixing ring in March.
Khedira to undergo knee surgery
Juventus’ German midfielder Sami Khedira is to undergo knee surgery to cure a problem that has plagued him this season. The 32-year-old said: “After four months of constant knee pain, some days worse than others, I decided to have surgery to allow it to fully repair and heal.”
Newcastle announce profit
Despite repaying a £33m loan to owner Mike Ashley, Newcastle United made an after-tax profit of £18.6m, largely due to an increase in media revenue from £79m to £119.6m. Turnover and commercial income also grew significantly, with turnover more than doubling, while operating expenses fell by more than £20 million to £119.6 million. The club still owes Ashley £111m on a long-term loan, which will be repaid when the club is sold.
Patton denies attack
Fleetwood Town manager Joey Barton has denied accusations that he assaulted Daniel Standall following a tunnel altercation that left the Barnsley boss injured. Barton’s statement read: “Regarding the incident that occurred after Saturday’s game against Barnsley, I categorically deny these allegations.” South Yorkshire Police arrested a man on suspicion of serious public order offenses and aggravated racial assault. The man has been granted bail, but police would not confirm the man’s identity. They did appeal for anyone with mobile phone footage of the incident to come forward.
Scotland looking for new head coach
Scotland are looking for a new manager after Alex McLeish was sacked after 14 months in charge. McLeage was an unpopular choice, having failed repeatedly at various jobs around the world and falling extremely low in the game. When his Scotland side lost 3-0 to world number 117 Kazakhstan, the writing was on the wall indeed.
Ramsey is out
With just a few weeks left in the season, the 28-year-old midfielder suffered a hamstring injury against Napoli and is likely to have played his final game for Arsenal. Ramsey could be out for 4 to 6 weeks.
Football players boycott social media
Professional footballers in England and Wales will boycott social media for 24 hours on Friday in protest at the way social media networks and football authorities have responded to a number of racist incidents in recent weeks. A statement from the PFA said it was “the first step in a long-term campaign to tackle racism in football. The boycott is a show of solidarity among players and calls for stronger action on social networks and football authorities to tackle racist abuse on and off the pitch.”
Costa refuses to train
Atletico forward Diego Costa refused to train after being told he would be fined for losing his temper with the referee during the defeat to Barcelona, Reuters reported. Costa was sent off and banned for eight games for insulting the referee in that game, but he was unhappy with the fine the club fined him.
Liverpool to subsidize tickets for away games
After Barcelona announced that away tickets for the Champions League match against Liverpool at Camp Nou would be charged 119 euros, Liverpool announced that it would follow Manchester United and increase ticket prices for away fans at Anfield and use the increased revenue to subsidize tickets for fans at Camp Nou. LFC will reduce away ticket prices to 88 euros, a saving of 31 euros over the price Barcelona extracts from away fans. Manchester United faced a similar problem in the last round, with Barcelona showing that their claim to be more than just a football club was nonsense.
Written by Tris Burke April 19, 2019 06:57:19