Football News: Review Of The Day 28th December 2021

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Review of the Day

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Contracts

Torino have given young Italian keeper Luca Gemello a deal which runs until 2023 with an option for a further year.

Transfers

Young midfielder Matty Longstaff has returned to Newcastle United after his loan spell with Aberdeen ended.

Anthony Martial has asked for a move away from Manchester United.

The SPFL's top scorer Tony Watt has agreed to move to Dundee United next season after agreeing a pre-contract to move there on freedom of contract from Motherwell.

Peterborough United goalkeeper Christy Pym has joined Stevenage on loan for the rest of the season.

Injury Round-Up

Watford's Oghenekaro Peter Etebo, on loan with the Premier League side from Championship club Stoke City, has been ruled out of Nigeria's AFCON squad due to a thigh injury. There has been better news for Nigeria's interim head coach Austin Eguavoen after Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was cleared to play following a serious facial injury suffered in November. The forward needed surgery on his cheekbone and eye socket on 23rd November after suffering fractures while playing in the 3-2 defeat to Inter Milan a couple of days earlier.

Sunderland striker Nathan Broadhead, on loan from Everton for the season, could potentially miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious hamstring injury against Arsenal in the EFL Cup. Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson told the BBC that he thought it could be a grade 3 tear and would be referred to a surgeon. He will be out at least three months, five if it does require surgery.

Newcastle United's home draw with Manchester United has come at a cost as Eddie Howe's side have lost their two most dangerous attackers to injury. Both Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin picked up injuries during the game, with Wilson's called "severe" and Howe fears the striker might be unavailable to him for months. Newcastle were only able to name 8 subs for the match, with two of those goalkeepers and two more teenagers who had yet to start a Premier League match.

Managerial Changes

Disciplinary Charges

Police have sent a written apology to the family of former Aston Villa forward Dalian Atkinson, six months after the police officer who killed him was sent to jail for manslaughter. The officer had tasered Atkinson and kicked him in the head, becoming the first police conviction for a death in custody in 30 years.

Both Olympique Lyonnais and Paris FC have been thrown out of the French FA Cup after their match had to be abandoned on 17th December due to crowd trouble. The game, which took place as second tier Paris' stadium, saw fighting in the stands, pitch invasions and fireworks thrown and was called off at half-time with the score at 1 apiece. Paris have also been fined 10,000euro and Lyon 52,000euro. Lyon were already in trouble over crowd trouble, which resulted in a point being deducted in Ligue 1 after Marseille midfielder Dmitri Payet was hit by a bottle thrown from the stands.

Pandemic Problems

A new record of 103 Premier League players and staff have tested positive for CV in the last 7 days, beating the record of 90 set just last week.

Claudio Ranieri has admitted it has been difficult for Watford, who have been able to hold just one training session in the last two weeks. Ranieri said: "I have just today [Monday] had the first training session all together. Fortunately today all my players arrived together and that is very, very important. I have just the injured players and it's a bad moment now. It's a bad moment because the players can't train properly and I hope nobody suffers some injuries because you know when they don't train and they arrive at the end it is very difficult to play, but that's it."

Leeds United v Aston Villa and Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers have both been called off due to CV cases. In the Championship, Birmingham City v Peterborough United was also called off.

Dundee's request to call off their match at Aberdeen was rejected, leaving the club to put assistant boss Dave McKay, who is 40-years-old, on the bench. They were able to name just three other substitutes, two of them goalkeepers and the other a 17-year-old named Callum Lamb. Dundee manager James McPake termed the decision to play "embarrassing for Scottish football" speaking before his team lost 2-1.

AFC Wimbledon have called on the English Football League to hold clubs to account for postponing matches after their last two games were called off by their opponents. The club wrote to the league, stating: "We want to take this opportunity to call on the EFL to undertake its due processes and implement the strongest-possible measures to ensure that - where a club is able to fulfil a fixture - it does so. Further, where it is found that a club was unable to fulfil a fixture, they must be held to account for all decisions which led to that position."

France are to limit fans attending matches to just 5,000 in an attempt to tackle the pandemic. In Scotland just 500 are able to attend, which led to clashes with police outside McDiarmid Stadium as Celtic fans tried to march their way into the ground to watch their team take on St Johnstone. Supporters with flares and banners reading "Fuck the SNP" made an attempt to gain access to the ground on Boxing Day. In Germany attendances are limited to 15,000, while England has so far decided not to panic over a new, much milder, strain and has not yet announced any restrictions on attending football games.

Players Can Leave For AFCON Late

The Confederation of African Football has told clubs that they can continue to play players that have been selected for their nations' AFCON squad until 3rd January. FIFA rules would have required teams to release the players by 27th December. The tournament begins on 9th January and will run until 6th February.

Equatorial Guinea squad for Afcon 2021
Goalkeepers: Aitor Embela (Somozas, Spain), Jesus Owono (Deportivo Alaves, Spain), Manuel Sapunga (Futuro Kings, Equatorial Guinea), Mariano Magno (Deportivo Unidad, Equatorial Guinea).
Defenders: Carlos Akapo (Cadiz, Spain), Marvin Anieboh (Cacereno, Spain), Cosme Anvene (Deportivo Unidad, Equatorial Guinea), Saul Coco (Las Palmas, Spain), Miguel Angel Maye (Futuro Kings, Equatorial Guinea), Luis Meseguer (Navalcarnero, Spain), Basilio Ndong (Start, Norway), Luis Enrique Nsue (Futuro Kings, Equatorial Guinea), Esteban Obiang (Antequera, Spain)
Midfielders: Javier Akapo (Ibiza Islas Pitiusas, Spain), Alex Balboa (Deportivo Alaves, Spain), Ruben Belima (Hercules, Spain), Federico Bikoro (Hercules, Spain), Jannick Buyla (Gimnastic Tarragona, Spain), Santiago Eneme (Nantes, France), Pablo Ganet (Real Murcia, Spain), Jose Machin (Monza, Italy), Josete Miranda (Niki Volos, Greece).
Forwards: Dorian Hanza (Langreo, Spain), Luis Nlavo (Sporting Braga, Portugal), Emilio Nsue (unattached), Pedro Oba (Futuro Kings, Equatorial Guinea), Iban Salvador (Fuenlabrada, Spain), Oscar Siafa (Olympiakos Volos, Greece).

Mali squad for Afcon 2021
Goalkeepers: Djigui Diarra (Young Africans, Tanzania), Ismael Diawara (Malmo, Sweden), Ibrahima Mounkoro (TP Mazembe, DR Congo).
Defenders: Senou Coulibaly (Dijon, France), Mamadou Fofana (Amiens, France), Massadio Haidara (Racing Lens, France), Boubacar Kiki Kouyate (Metz, France), Falaye Sacko (Vitoria Guimaraes, Portugal), Issiaka Samake (Horoya, Guinea), Moussa Sissako (Standard Liege, Belgium), Charles Traore (Nantes, France), Hamari Traore (Stade Rennes, France).
Midfielders: Yves Bissouma (Brighton and Hove Albion, England), Mohamed Camara (RB Salzburg, Austria), Lassana Coulibaly (Salernitana, Italy), Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly, Egypt), Amadou Haidara (RB Leipzig, Germany), Romenigue Kouame (Troyes, France), Diadie Samassekou (Hoffenheim, Germany), Adama 'Noss' Traore (Hatayspor, Turkey), Hamidou Traore (Giresunspor, Turkey).
Forwards: Kalifa Coulibaly (Nantes, France), Moussa Doumbia (Stade Reims, France), Moussa Djenepo (Southampton, France), Ibrahima Kone (Sarpsborg, Norway), Lassine Sinayoko (AJ Auxerre, France), Adama 'Malouda' Traore (Sheriff Tiraspol, Moldova), El Bilal Toure (Stade Reims, France).

Guinea squad for Afcon 2021
Goalkeepers: Aly Keita (Ostersund, Sweden), Ibrahima Kone (Hibernians, Malta), Moussa Camara (Horoya, Guinea).
Defenders: Saidou Sow (St Etienne, France), Ibrahima Conte (Niort, France), Florentin Pogba (Sochaux, France), Ousmane Kante (Paris FC, France), Mohamed Aly Camara (Young Boys, Switzerland), Pa Konate (Botev Plovdiv, Bulgaria), Issiaga Sylla (Toulouse, France), Fode Camara (Horoya, Guinea), Gaoussou Yousouf Siby (Wakrya, Guinea), Mikael Dyrestam (Sarpsborg 08, Norway).
Midfielders: Amadou Diawara (Roma, Italy), Ibrahima Cisse (Seriang, Belgium), Mory Konate (Sint-Truidense, Belgium), Ibrahima Sory Conte (Bnei Sakhnin, Israel), Ilaix Moriba (RB Leipzig), Mamadou Kane (Neftci, Azerbaijan), Morlaye Sylla (Horoya, Guinea), Aguibou Camara (Olympiacos, Greece), Naby Keita (Liverpool, England).
Forwards: Seydouba Soumah (Kuwait SC, Kuwait), Morgan Guilavogui (Paris FC, France), Mamadou Diallo (Grenoble, France), Jose Kante (Kairat, Kazakhstan), Mohamed Bayo (Clermont France), Sory Kaba (OH Leuven, Belgium).

Kahn Calls For Salary Cap

Following a stormy Bayern Munich general assembly, where the main focus was on their sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways which the fans wish the club to not renew or even cancel early, Bayern CEO and legendary former goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has told Suddeutsche Zeitung that he believes the issue overshadowed all other business. Kahn said that the contract will be fulfilled, despite Qatar's human rights issues, but he would like to talk more about the financial issues caused by the pandemic which makes the contract so important. Kahn said: "Of course the contract with Qatar Airways is lucrative, but that doesn't mean that we haven't shed light on it from other aspects as well, and won't shed light on it. It cannot be a solution either to ostracize or not to engage in a dialogue. There are very sensible investors who also have an interest in ensuring that salaries do not go wild. That makes their investment easier to plan. A few years ago the British were 10 or 20 million euros ahead of us. Now it is many times that. We want there to be a containment of salaries, and it would also be desirable if the prices on the transfer market fall."

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Written by Tris Burke December 28 2021 03:05:57