Football News: Review Of The Day 29th May 2019
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Review of the Day
Contracts
Norwich City's German midfielder Marco Stiepermann has signed a new 3 year deal.
Scottish forward Bob McHugh has signed a 1 year deal with Morton.
Transfers
Athletic Bilbao have released Spanish defender Xabier Etxeita.
German striker Florian Niederlechner has swapped SC Freiburg of Augsburg.
Danish midfielder Christian Norgaard has joined Brentford from Fiorentina for £3.6m.
Brazilian centre-back Felipe has joined Atletico Madrid for £18m from Porto.
Former Arsenal youngster Nacer Barazite has been released by Al-Jazira.
Anton Ferdinand is leaving St Mirren in the summer.
Blackpool have made their first signing of the summer in the shape of Solihull Moors striker Adi Yussuf.
Michael Howard has joined Morecambe following his release by Preston North End.
Cambridge United have picked up Luke Hannant after he was released by Port Vale.
Carvalhal Back In Portugal
Former Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has returned to management by taking charge of Portugese top flight side Rio Ave. Carvalhal said: "I made no secret of the fact that I wanted to stay in England and I received several offers from clubs there. But the most important thing for me was for someone to show their willingness to have me at their club. The president showed real interest in me and my coaching staff and that was a key factor in my decision."
Ralph Triggers Exit Clause
Dundee full-back Nathan Ralph has triggered a clause in his contract which allows him to speak to other clubs following the club's relegation from the SPFL. The former Newport County player was signed from Woking last summer.
Westerhof Gets Promised Reward 25 Years Late
Nigeria have finally rewarded their former national team head coach Clemens Westerhof with a house that he was promised for winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations. The country's then military ruler Sani Abacha had promised a house to each squad member and official but very few received them. Nigeria's current president Muhammadu Buhari has set out to fulfil the promise and has requested the names of the others who have yet to receive a house.
Bielsa To Stay
Leeds United's head coach Marcelo Bielsa is to continue in the role for next season. The legendary Argentine coach led the Yorkshire club to 3rd place and a place in the play-offs this season, where they lost out to Derby County. The previous season Leeds had finished 13th. The big issue now is, will manufacturers of blue buckets be able to keep up with demand for their product in the wake of the news?
AVB Back In Management
Andre Villas-Boas is back from his sabbatical to try his hand at rallying with Olympique Marseille. The 41 year old has previously managed both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in English football, after stepping up from being an assistant to Jose Mourinho. Marseille had initially tried to recruit Rafa Benitez, but he rejected their overtures.
Match fixing Arrests In Spain
Spanish police have swooped to arrest 11 people in raids over match-fixing, money laundering and involvement in a criminal organisation. Those arrested include current top flight players, retired ones and presidents and executives of clubs, including on loan Leeds United forward Samu Saiz, who spent the second half of this season at Getafe. Spanish police have identified "at least three" matches in the first, second and a lower division that they believe were fixed. The Spanish league have claimed that they instigated the investigation when they contacted authorities about possible match-fixing of a second tier match in May last year. They also said that they have informed police of 8 more suspected cases of "acts related to match-fixing in lower, non-professional divisions and international friendlies". Added to that, there were a further 18 matches which the league "sent alerts" regarding players possibly placing bets on the outcome of matches in the lower leagues. Recreativo Huesca have confirmed that a number of people from the club have been detained by polce and Real Valladolid have released a statement admitting that they are the cause of a La Liga complaint. The statement read: "Real Valladolid rejects any type of conduct or fraudulent behaviour, denouncing corruption among individuals, money laundering, criminal organizations or any type of behaviour that originates or could lead to the distortion and corruption of any sports competition. Faced with the arrests made, Real Valladolid maintains, as it has done since the day of its constitution, its commitment and fight against corruption or any type of illicit activity that undermines the integrity of sports competitions." Valencia have denied that anyone connected to their club is involved.
Neymar Loses Captaincy
Dani Alves has been named as the captain of Brazil's national team after Tite decided to take the armband from Neymar Jr, who has been involved in a number of high-profile disciplinary incidents. Alves, who has previously captained Brazil on 4 occasions, will lead the South Americans into the Copa America next month.
Xavi Gets First Head Coach Role
Xavi has been appointed as the new head coach of Qatari side Al Sadd SC. Xavi, who retired from playing at the end of the season, joined Al Sadd as a played three years previously after leaving Barcelona.
Ramos Looks To Leave Madrid
Real Madrid's club captain Sergio Ramos has asked to be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer after being offered a lot of money to join a Chinese side who could not pay a transfer fee. Club president Florentino Perez told Spanish radio station Onda Cero: "They came to see me at the office and they told me that they had a very good offer from China but that the rules there do not allow them to pay the transfer. I told Ramos that it was impossible for Real Madrid to let their captain go for free."
Gattuso Quits Milan
Gennaro Gattuso has quit/been sacked from the head coaching role at AC Milan after they missed out on the Champions League. Milan finished 5th in Serie A under Gattuso, who played over 450 times for the Milanese in midfield during his playing career. Milan's chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: "I have had the privilege to get to know Rino Gattuso over the past six months since my arrival at the club. Rino has given everything to our efforts this season, and has worked tirelessly, always taking full responsibility, putting the club above every other consideration. I want to say from the bottom of our hearts, thank you Rino."
Written by Tris Burke May 29 2019 06:51:38
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