Football News: Review Of The Day 21st September 2018
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Review of the Day
Davies Saved Bolton Again Just Before His Death
Former Bolton Wanderers owner Eddie Davies saved the club from administration just four days before he died by giving the club a £5m loan to pay off their main creditor BluMarble Capital. The Trotters were facing a 12 point deduction and transfer ban until the 72 year old stepped in. It was Davies who bankrolled Bolton during the early 2000s as they emerged in the Premier League as a force under Sam Allardyce. He stepped down as chairman in 2016, writing off £175m in loans at the time.
Can Apologises For Comments
Juventus's former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has apologised for his post-match comments regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's sending off in the Champions League at Valencia. Ronaldo was shown the red card for appearing to pull defender Jeison Murillo's hair, which the Portugese star denies. Can said: "We're not women, we're playing football," which has led to accusations of sexism and even calls for a ban from playing. The German has now posted an apology which read: "The comments made were never focused on nor meant to degrade women, women's football or equality in any form. My intention was to stick up for a team-mate regarding a wrong decision which could have affected our game. I sincerely apologise if any of the comments I made caused any harm."
Poch Blames Drink Driving Incident For Lloris Injury
Hugo Lloris was caught drink-driving just three days before picking up a thigh injury against Manchester United at Old Trafford that has kept him sidelined ever since. Now his Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is linking the two incidents and claiming the former contributed to the latter. Pochettino said: "I think the injury, and with the added stress, maybe created that injury." Since the incident pictures have emerged of Lloris waiting outside Erik Lamela's house for a lift to training, as the 31 year old goalkeeper has a 20 month driving ban that is definitely due to the drink-driving.
Former Premier League Player Faces Match Fixing Charges In Sweden
Former Nigerian international Dickson Etuhu, who played for Manchester City, Preston North End, Norwich City, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland during his time in English football, has been accused of attempting to bribe a former team-mate to fix a match for AIK Stockholm against Gothenburg in Sweden. Etuhu, now retired from playing to become an agent, is claimed to have offered a "very large amount of money" as well as making a number of "veiled threats" to former AIK Stockholm team-mate Kenny Stamatopoulos. The game was cancelled after the allegations came to light, which have also seen former striker Alban Jusufi charged with bribery. Etuhu also faces a minor drugs offence after cocaine was found during a search of his home. Etuhu's lawyer has denied the charges and said: "He has not offered any bribe and he does not know anything about any bribe. He had a snack with the AIK goalkeeper, they knew each other and used to meet for lunch. He has an explanation of what happened and we will present it during the trial."
Atalanta Renew Gasperini Contract
Atalanta have awarded head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a new contract which runs until 2021, with the option of a further year. This is despite the club making a poor start to the season, the Serie A side have decided to stand by the coach. Atalanta released a statement reading: "Atalanta B.C. and Gian Piero Gasperini are pleased to announce that they have found an agreement for the extension of the contract of the technician until 2020-2021, with option in favor of the Club also for the 2021-2022 season. A lengthening of the relationship with the aim of giving continuity to the project started between Atalanta and the Nerazzurri technician in the 2016-2017 season."
Gilardino Announces Retirement
World Cup and Champions League winning Alberto Gilardino has announced his playing retirement after acquiring his UEFA A and B licenses. He is now looking for his first coaching role.
Barca President Bartomeu Backs US Game Plan
The president of Barcelona, one of the two La Liga sides looking to play in the first Spanish league match played in the USA, Josep Maria Bartomeu has backed the plan, talking about how it will increase the club's revenue streams. Unsurprisingly, his only concern is how much money it will make, not whether it affects sporting integrity of the league itself or how it impacts on fans that wish to attend. Bartomeu said, with dollar signs in his eyes: "We are big fans of the idea although it is not our decision. We believe this is the right move to promote La Liga and Spanish football, it will increase our exposure and we believe it is the future. If the initial games passes off without incident and is a success, which we believe it will be, then we are confident other clubs will also want to proceed with the idea. The political situation? As clubs, we want to distance ourselves from it, even though politics is intrinsically linked to football. We want a situation where we have increased revenue streams."
Written by Tris Burke September 21 2018 06:31:15
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