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Football News: Review Of The Day 4th March 2019

Review Of The Day 4th March 2019
Image from: freelargeimages.com

Review of the Day

 


Transfers

Former Cameroon captain Benjamin Moukandjo, who announced his international retirement last year, has been released by Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning. The 30 year old spent last season on loan at Beijing Renhe.

 

Six Arrested At Pittodrie

Six people, five men and one woman, were arrested during the Scottish Cup draw between Aberdeen and Rangers, according to Police Scotland. The six were arrested due to disorder and the use of a pyrotechnic device during the tie, which ended 1-1 and will go to a replay. Police are also looking into reports that seats were thrown by both sets of fans. Supt. Richard Craig said: "I would like to thank the vast majority of supporters from both clubs who heeded our advice and behaved responsibly today. However, it is disappointing that a very small minority of fans chose to ignore the warnings and were in involved in disorderly behaviour. They have let themselves and their clubs down. Disruptive behaviour in and around football matches in Scotland will not be tolerated and those who choose to conduct themselves in such a way will be firmly dealt with."

 

Gerrard Moans About Pittodrie Pitch

Steven Gerrard is really getting the hang of the managerial excuses towards the end of his first season. After his Rangers side drew 1-1 away to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup, Gerrard went on a moan about the state of the pitch. Gerrard said: "Aberdeen trained on the pitch yesterday and it hadn't been rolled, it hadn't been cut. It was windy, there was a lot of ball in the air, and Aberdeen are really effective at turning games physical. Second-half we matched them more. Now we've got a full Ibrox [for the replay], I'm sure they'll be behind us, we've got a better pitch, a bigger pitch and hopefully we can play more like Rangers next time." Modern day players have it far too easy if that is enough to ruin their game!

 

Barry Announces Retirement

No, not Gareth, but Boubacar Barry. The 39 year old Ivory Coast goalkeeper was part of their 'golden generation' which lifted the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, but failed to make the impact on the world stage that had been anticipated. His last match for his nation was that 2015 AFCON final, where he not only saved two penalties but scored the winning spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw with Ghana. Barry said: "On 2 March I announced the end of my career as a goalkeeper which has lasted for 22 years. Boubacar 'Copa' Barry became what he is today thanks to the support from people who trusted him and gave him a chance. I have indeed replaced my gloves with a new cap which is coaching. Thanks to God, I had the chance to join the OHL who have given me the post of a goalkeeper coach. I wish to express my gratitude for their confidence in me to start my new career with them. I am aware of the weight of the responsibilities and like my predecessors, I will continue to convey the values of universality and courage and team spirit."

 

De Bruyne Ruled Out

Manchester City will have to make do without Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne "for a while" as the playmaker suffered a hamstring injury. Manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the injury is a serious one, but is more hopeful over John Stones, who was also taken off with injury in their 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Guardiola said: "Kevin will be out for a while with a muscular problem - hamstring. John I think is more precaution. We didn't take a risk - we'll see tomorrow. But I think we've played 25 games in 93 days, one every three days, so it's a physiological issue. The body is not able to recover so of course sometimes the muscle says 'hello, that's enough'. But everybody's committed and we'll wait for Kevin to come back."

 

New Tapie Claims Emerge

Former Marseille president Bernard Tapie has been under a cloud for years, with his period in charge of the French club seen as one in which he was heavily involved in match-fixing, which enabled them to lift the European Cup in 1993. Now a former 'collaborator' of Tapie's has made fresh allegations of cheating by Tapie. Marc Fratani told Le Monde that he had tried to 'buy' a referee for a match against Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital. However Tapie's determination to win went further, and Fratani claims that the PSG side were also drugged using Haldol for the game. Fratani said: "Tapie is a person who knows no limits. To get to the bottom, he was capable of doing everything. I once attended a meeting to buy a referee, it was for a game against PSG in Paris. In that game, we also conditioned the opponent with a drug: Haldol. We added it using syringes with an ultra-thin needle. We injected it into plastic bottles, and everything that was consumable by the adversary was treated with it."

 

Balotelli Celebrates Goal On Instagram

After Mario Balotelli scored a scissor/bicycle kick volleyed goal to help Marseille to a 2-0 win over Saint-Etienne, the Italian striker celebrated by heading to the sidelines and using a phone to livestream him and his team-mates celebrations on Instatwitbook. Or something.

Written by Tris Burke March 04 2019 04:34:53

 

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