Football News: Review Of The Day 20th March 2021

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Review of the Day

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Contracts

Harrogate Town forward Aaron Martin has extended his contract with the League Two team until 2023.

Welsh international defender Ben Cabango has signed a long-term contract with Swansea City which will expire in 2025.

Reports in France are claiming that Paris Saint-Germain are paying Mauricio Pochettino around 50% more than his predecessor Thomas Tuchel. With Tuchel already earning over 50% more than the second highest paid manager in Ligue 1, AS Monaco boss Niko Kovac, that puts Pochettino at over double Kovac's salary. According to the reports Pochettino is paid around 940,000 euros a month, while Tuchel earnt about 625,000 a month and Kovac is on 400,000.

Transfers

Leaving MLS side Sporting Kansas City to return to his home country Chile is Felipe Gutierrez who has signed for CD Universidad Catolica on a free transfer.

Gremio president Romildo Bolzan has claimed that they are in talks to re-sign winger Douglas Costa. The Juventus winger, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich, began his career in Brazil with Gremio, coming through the club's academy.

Injury Round-Up

A shoulder injury has ended Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Nathan Baxter's season. The 22 year old was on loan to Stanley from Chelsea for the season.

OGC Nice's William Saliba, on loan from Arsenal, has tested CV positive. The defender will not be available to face Olympique Marseille this weekend but it is hoped the international break will mean he will be back for Nice's next match on 4th April.

Managerial Changes

Disciplinary Charges

Barnsley have succesfully appealed the red card shown to their captain Alex Mowatt during their win over Wycombe Wanderers on Wednesday. The 26 year old will no longer have to serve a three match ban.

In a punishment which has led to a backlash against the German FA, a Borussia Moenchengladbach coach has been punished by making him take charge of coaching sessions for the women's team. Heiko Vogel, who is head coach of Moenchengladbach's U23s team, was banned for two-games and given a 1,500 euro fine for "unsporting behaviour" towards a match official. The German FA have given Vogel until 30th June to lead six sessions of the club's women's or girls' team on top of the ban and fine. The woman's game has hit out at the punishment as damaging for their sport.

AC Milan have appealed against midfielder Ante Rebic's two game ban for protesting against a decision and then insulting the referee.

Hart Apologises For Social Media Post

Joe Hart shows all that is wrong with modern footballers after he apologised for his "job done" post on Instatwit following Tottenham Hotspur going out of the Europa League 3-2 on aggregate after a 3-0 defeat in the second leg. Hart said: "I feel like I need to come on and make an apology on behalf of my social media team. It's obviously not come from me and I've got nothing but love for the club and support for the team. I'm just as down as the boys are, so apologies. Unfortunately it's happened but just know it didn't come from any other place other than a typo. Someone thought that we'd won 3-0. As sloppy as it sounds, it's the truth. That's unacceptable and I'm sure it's annoyed a lot of people. I'm sorry it's come to that." The very fact a player who spends most of his time warming the bench has a social media team tells you all you need to know about the ludicrous world of the overpaid, overhyped modern day footballer. If you have not got time to look after your own accounts, then why even bother having one and pretending it is you putting out this mind-numbing junk?

Europa League Draw

Europa League quarter-final draw
Granada v Manchester United
Arsenal v Slavia Prague
Ajax v Roma
Dinamo Zagreb v Villarreal

Europa League semi-final draw
Granada/Manchester United v Ajax/Roma
Dinamo Zagreb/Villarreal v Arsenal/Slavia Prague

Champions League Draw

Quarter-final draw:
Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund
Porto v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Paris St Germain
Real Madrid v Liverpool

Semi-final draw:
Bayern Munich or Paris St-Germain v Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid or Liverpool v Porto or Chelsea

Internationals

European-based trio Tyler Adams, Timothy Weah and Nicholas Gioacchini have had to pull out of the latest USA squad this month due to quarantine requirements. Adams plays in Germany for RB Leipzip, while Lille forward Weah and SM Caen player Gioacchini are in France. Christian Cappis, from Danish side Hobro, and Jordan Siebatcheu, who plays for Young Boys on loan from Stade Rennes. have been called up as replacements.

Olympique Lyonnais forward Memphis Depay has hit out at the French government for dropping their country's quarantine restrictions for French national team players, while not doing the same for other international footballers based in France. Depay has appealed on social media to be allowed to represent his country, Holland, without facing a period in quarantine on his return to France.

Germany Squad:
Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno (Arsenal), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Defenders: Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Robin Gosens (Atalanta), Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Philipp Max (PSV Eindhoven), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea), Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Amin Younes (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Forwards: Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Timo Werner (Chelsea)

Meunier Targeted

Borussia Dortmund full-back Thomas Meunier has been forced to turn off comments on his social media accounts after receiving a wave of abuse from sad little Real Madrid plastic fans. Meunier has been blamed for Eden Hazard's injury problems after a tackle from the Belgian on his compatriot while playing for Paris Saint-Germain damaged Hazard's ankle in November 2019. Perhaps if Hazard tried living with a professional approach to the game and ate a proper diet, then the finger of blame could be pointed elsewhere for his injury problems. As it is, the injury, as were previous ones suffered with Madrid, was as much down to his lack of fitness as they were the challenge.

Keeper Wears Trackie To Wedding

Real Madrid's Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin marriage to fellow Ukraine national Anastasia Tamazova was clearly badly affected by pandemic restrictions. So much so that the pair's civil ceremony, without guests, was conducted with them both wearing tracksuits. Classy.

Pointless List For Today

The overall UEFA top 10 teams of the decade was released, based on UEFA's continental ranking points for each season of the decade added together:
1. Barcelona - 2,877 points
2. Real Madrid - 2782 points
3. Bayern Munich - 2,594 points
4. Paris Saint-Germain - 2,357 points
5. Atletico Madrid - 2,302 points
6. Juventus - 2,272 points
7= Chelsea - 2,113 points
7= Manchester City - 2,113 points
9. Manchester United - 2,020 points
10. Arsenal - 2,016 points

Red Devils Announce Record Shirt Sponsor Deal

Manchester United are set for a new shirt sponsor after agreeing a record deal for a kit sponsor with TeamViewer which is believed to be worth £235m over 5 years. That is a Premier League record and second only to Real Madrid's deal with Emirates Airlines. While the deal has been celebrated among United fans, it has seen TeamViewer AG's valuation slump the most on record during Friday training! Stock dropped by as much as 16% as there were concerns that the cost of the deal is far higher than the value it will return to the remote working software business.

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Written by Tris Burke March 20 2021 04:55:22