Football News: Review Of The Day 3rd March 2021

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Review of the Day

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Contracts

Transfers

In a cross-MLS transfer, Minnesota United have signed Juan Agudelo on a free transfer from David Beckham's Inter Miami. Leaving Minnesota is Jose Aja who has joined Wanderers of the Chilean Primera Division on a free transfer.

Also in Major League Soccer, Brazilian winger Robinho (not the former Real Madrid and Manchester City player) has left Orlando City on a free transfer to sign for Confianca-SE. Oddly enough, yet another Brazilian named Robinho was also on the move, as Gremio released their experienced midfielder.

Second tier in the USA is the USLC and home to a lot of B teams from the MLS. One of those is Atlanta United 2 (I can only imagine how long they took to come up with that name!) and they have taken teenage goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo on loan from Lanus in Argentina.

Teenage midfielder Emilian Metu has signed for Bayern Munich from SKN St Polten.

Injury Round-Up

Newcastle United's injury problems have deepened as key forwards Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron have been ruled out for the rest of the month with injuries picked up in the 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Almiron has a knee problem and Saint-Maximin a groin issue. Right-back Emil Krafth, who was also taken off in the match against Wolves with an injury, is not expected to miss any matches with his knock.

Fulham's Scottish midfielder Kevin McDonald has revealed that he has chronic kidney disease which will require a transplant next month. The 32 year old believes it may well be the end of his playing career.

Neymar has taken to whining about Paris Saint-Germain fans while he is out injured. The Brazilian cry-baby posted on social media: "A few days ago I published my daily training, my routine from when I started until I finished, and I didn't see a single message saying 'what a professional, he's taking care of himself'. Not one." Oh no, no one posted up to congratulate him on doing his job that he is paid millions to do! How sad. Just makes you want to cry right? Or is that just a Neymar thing? I think we should all immediately club together to get him one of those 'special little soldier' medals to make him feel better.

Managerial Changes

Ipswich Town have turned to Paul Cook as their new manager to replace Paul Lambert, who left on Sunday. Cook was last manager of Wigan Athletic until his resignation in August last year, with the Latics in administration.

Schalke 04's season of disaster has degenerated even further as manager Christian Gross has been sacked after just ten league games in charge and his assistant Jochen Schneider, first team coordinator Sascha Riether, fitness coach Werner Leuthard and the sporting director Jochen Schneider have all also been given the boot. Replacing Gross is Schalke's fifth coach of the season in the shape of Dimitrios Grammozis.

Also in the Bundesliga, Arminia Bielefeld have fired head coach Uwe Neuhaus and his assistant. Frank Kramer has been appointed to replace him.

Disciplinary Charges

Two bans have been overturned for wrongful dismissal. Charlton Athletic striker Chuks Aneke was sent off against Blackpool for an elbow, but will now not have to serve a three match ban. The Forest Green Rovers midfielder Ebou Adams was also set for a three match ban for serious foul play when he was sent off during their win over Colchester United, but is now free to play with immediate effect.

Both Bournemouth and Watford have been charged with misconduct by the FA over a 96th minute brawl between the two sets of players which saw Hornets forward Joao Pedro and Cherries midfielder Jack Wilshere sent off.

Confederation of African Football president Ahmad's appeal against his five-year ban from football, which was handed to him by FIFA, has begun at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Ahmad is looking to run for re-election to the CAF presidency by having the ban overturned.

Egyptian club Zamalek have been given until the end of the month to pay their former player the $1m+ they owe him or they be given a transfer ban by FIFA.

PSV Eindhoven have apologised after Ajax forward Dusan Tadic was hit by a coin thrown by a PSV fan while leaving Eindhoven's Philips Stadium following the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Tadic was walking to the team bus following the game. Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

RIP Saint

The Saint half of legendary TV duo Saint and Greavsie has moved on to join his old sparring partner. Former Liverpool and Scotland striker Ian St John was probably better known to most people of my age for his TV show with former England striker Jimmy Greaves. The 82 year old died after a long illness but was more than just an funny and warm-hearted football pundit, he was a legend as a player at Anfield and will be sadly missed by all at the club. St John was the player that Liverpool's board told Bill Shankly that they could not afford to buy him from Motherwell, only for Shanks to tell them that, "We can't afford not to buy him." Shankly bought him with the promise that Liverpool, then in the second tier, would win the FA Cup with him in the team. Sure enough a couple of years later he scored the winner to give the Reds their first-ever FA Cup trophy in 1965.

Torino Placed In Quarantine

The game between Lazio and Torino ended in farcical scenes after the Turin side failed to turn up at the Stadio Olimpico due to health officials placing them in quarantine. Eight Torino players had tested positive for CV and local health officials told the club not to travel, but Serie A wanted the game to take place anyway. Serie A rules would normally see the game awarded as a 3-0 win to Lazio, but similar circumstances earlier in the season saw Napoli fail to appear to play Juventus but the Italian Olympic Committee overruled the three-point deduction, ordering the match to be rescheduled.

Tebas Hypocritical Attack

Once more the president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has made a wholly hypocritical attack on clubs that do not play in Spain, for being guilty of "financial doping" in similar ways to how Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid have been guilty of for at least the last 50 years. Tebas has hit out at "state-owned clubs" Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain for being able to allegedly breach Financial Fair Play rules, completely ignoring how Real Madrid were funded by the Spanish government when they were running out of money in a wanton display of financial doping. Tebas is quoted as saying: "If my level of confidence [in FFP] is based on what has happened in recent years, then it's low. But if it is based on the hope of [Aleksander] Ceferin enforcing economic control and ensuring that the rules are fulfilled, then it's different... The FFP rules are not the best, but I would be satisfied with them just being met and there not being clubs evading them on all sides; that there isn't a Manchester City or a PSG. State-owned clubs like PSG and Man City...buying the best players because they're financed by the oil industry and their special, not strictly legal funding methods." But it is not as bad as Barca's current corruption scandal, or Madrid selling their old ramshackle training ground to the Spanish government for many, many times its true worth and also being gifted a brand-new larger training complex as part of the deal, which enabled them to pay off the vast debt they run up buying up the best players. And that is just two obvious examples of the way Spanish clubs operate. I can only wonder why Tebas does not stop whining and clean up his own house first, rather than making vague accusations of cheating about other nation's clubs.

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Written by Tris Burke March 03 2021 05:12:09