Football News: Review Of The Day 5th October 2019

Image from: freelargeimages.com

Review of the Day

Contracts

Major League Soccer side New York City FC, part of the City Group, have given Argentine midfielder Maxi Moralez a deal until the end of 2021.

Transfers

Free agent Peruvian defender Miguel Araujo has signed for FC Emmen.

Another free agent has signed for Port Vale, midfielder Will Atkinson.

Injury Round-Up

Heart of Midlothian will have to make do without defender Craig Halkett for over 2 months after he suffered an MCL injury against St Mirren.

On-loan Chelsea full-back Davide Zappacosta has suffered a suspected torn ACL in training with loan club AS Roma.

Silkmen Ask For Help

Macclesfield Town's players and staff have asked the English Football League for help as the club has not paid them once more. The club is due in court later this month over a winding-up petition. A players' statement read: "As players and staff, we remain committed and professional to honour our contracts under these extremely difficult circumstances for ourselves and our families. We'd like thank the fans for their continued support and backing this season so far." The EFL confirmed receiving complaints from Macclesfield players' and staff: "Following the statement issued earlier today by players and other staff at Macclesfield Town, the EFL can confirm that it has today received complaints of non-payment of wages to players and staff. The EFL has requested the club's observations before determining, in accordance with EFL Regulations, what steps to take whilst also assisting all parties in reaching an amicable and appropriate resolution as quickly as possible."

Stevenage Not Looking To Replace Sampson

Caretaker manager Mark Sampson, who left his role with England's women under a cloud, is looking like he is the real choice of Stevenage as their new manager to replace Dino Maamria. The 36 year old, who was sacked for "unacceptable and inapropriate behaviour" by England's Women, was meant to be just a short term option, but it looks like it was just a way of avoiding a public backlash. Club chairman Phil Wallace said: "I haven't interviewed anyone for the managerial position so far and I don't have any plans to do so at this time. Mark and [assistant] Alex Revell have done a good job since taking over and I am happy with how the team have been performing, although obviously I'd like to have seen a few more points on the board. They have brought the squad together, there is a great atmosphere in the building and there are positive signs that we are improving. Mark's meticulous planning and his addition of Welsh goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts to assist us has also had a big impact on the squad. We are taking things on a game-to-game basis but, whilst the squad are performing well, whilst there is harmony in the camp and whilst our senior players are coming back from injury, I would like to see if this management team can turn things around and get our season back on track."

Tansey Retires

Former St Mirren midfielder Greg Tansey has retired at the age of 30 following a 2 year battle with the bone infection osteomyelitis. Tansey left St Mirren in August after the club refused to pay for surgery to help with the problem. Tansey announced on social media: "Every footballer knows that it will eventually come to an end. Today is that day for me. I'm going to make the most of the next chapter. I am happy with what I've achieved and I'm excited for what lies ahead."

Saunders Wins Appeal

Shockingly drunken prick Dean Saunders has won his appeal against a jail sentence for refusing to take a breath test when clearly heavily inebriated. The appeal judge Steven Everett instead sentenced Saunders to 200 hours community service. The community service Saunders had said initially he was unable to do. The judge said: "The sheer shame is going to live with you for the rest of your life. You should literally hang your head in shame by what you did. I suggest you take the opportunity to tell others that it really isn't worth it. Drink-driving is a terrible thing." What a joke!

Promise Dies Aged Just 31

Former Nigerian international striker Isaac Promise has passed away at the age of 31. Promise captained the Nigerian side that won silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a player with an American team called Austin Bold.

Drone Stops Play

A drone carrying a flag underneath caused the Europa League game between F91 Dedelange of Luxembourg and FK Qarabag of Azerbaijan to be halted for more than 15 minutes. Players from both teams attempted to bring the drone down by kicking the ball at it.

Puel Returns To French Football

Former Southampton and Leicester City boss Claude Puel has taken charge of Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne. He replaces Ghislain Printant with the team sat second from bottom in the table. Puel was sacked by Southampton after finishing in 8th, then had 16 months with Leicester, finishing in 9th in his only full season. Printant had been suspended over a possible breach of his employment contract, Saint-Etienne said, but did not reveal what the breach was.

Belgium Name Squad

Goalkeepers: Henderick Van Crombrugge (Anderlecht), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Matz Sels (Strasbourg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin), Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Vermaelen (Vissel Kobe), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Timothy Castagne (Atalanta), Nacer Chadli (RSC Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Dennis Praet (Leicester City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Maxime Lestienne (Standard de Liège), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Divock Origi (Liverpool), Yari Verschaeren (RSC Anderlecht).

Bordeaux Suspend Trio Over Attack On Teammate

Three players in Girondins Bordeaux's youth academy have been suspended by the club after they attacked a teammate, leaving him on crutches. A Bordeaux statement explained: "We are supporting our injured player and will be alongside him through this tough time. We have reacted immediately to this incident and have suspended three players while we lead our investigation." The three players have also been interviewed by local police.

Bakayoko Avoiding Upsetting Chelsea

On-loan at Monaco from Chelsea, after a season on loan with AC Milan, Tiemoue Bakayoko is refusing to explain why it all went wrong for him in London to avoid getting on the bad side of Chelsea. Bakayoko told Eurosport: "Playing in those two great clubs [Chelsea and Milan] helped me develop, helped become who I am today. I don't really want to talk about Chelsea because I don't want to get on their bad side. There are reasons. There are things that aren't explainable. Things that will stay between me and them. It didn't click, at least not how I wanted to. Yes, there's a bit of disappointment, but sometimes in life there's disappointment but you need to carry on."

Jesus Shoots Down Bayern Rumours

Manchester City's Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus has been rumoured to have been offered to Bayern Munich in the summer. Bild had reported that Jesus was offered to the Munich club while they were talking to Man City about Leroy Sane. Jesus answered the rumour on social media with a one word reply: "Lie".

Coman Sets Bundesliga Speed Record

Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman reached a top speed of 22.16mph (35.66 km/h) against Paderborn to set a new top speed record in the Bundesliga. This is despite COman telling France Football that: "I feel slower than before. I can't develop in this area as much as I could when I was 18 or 19." Coman clocked the 9th fastest speed last season.

Dembele Went AWOL For 3 Days

Former Borussia Dortmund translator Massimo Mariotti has revealed that Ousmane Dembele did a midnight flit when he found out Barcelona wanted to sign him. The French forward was missing for 3 days as he tried to force Dortmund to accept a bid from the Catalan club. Mariotti told Goal: "Everyone came to me and asked where he was. But I didn't know either. I tried to reach him and his cousin, but that was in vain. They were both unavailable for three days. Somehow I had guessed at the time that he was no longer in Dortmund at all, so I went to his house and found out that he had gone to France with his mother in the morning. Ousmane was really gone overnight and I was the only one who had contact with him later. I told him that he should come back, so that we could talk about things and he could understand BVB, that he must behave professionally. But it was already too late for that."

Italy Recall Zaniolo

Italy:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino)
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Cristiano Biraghi (Inter Milan), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Danilo D'Ambrosio (Inter Milan), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Armando Izzo (Torino), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma)
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Stefano Sensi (Inter Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma)
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenhua), Vincenzo Grifo (Friburgo), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)

Conte's Furious Response Explained

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte's seemingly odd comments in a post-match interview following his side's 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League have been explained. Conte had said, in comments tinged with anger, that respect must first be mutual and secondly earned. Now La Repubblica have claimed his comments came in response to the referee, Damir Skomina, who was said to have told Conte that "I cannot stand you any more", during one of a number of heated exchanges during the match played at the Camp Nou. Skomina has also demanded Conte showed him respect and pointed at the 'Respect' badge on his shirt. Skomina was the cause of much ire after his handling of the match, which included a refusal to consult VAR over what looked a penalty for Inter.

Madrid Fines Leaked

Real Madrid's punishment system has been leaked. Players are required to arrive at least 45 minutes before training with punishments for lateness as follows:
- Five minutes late: €250 fine
- 15 minutes late: €500 fine
- Over 15 minutes late: €1000 fine
- Unjustifiable absence from training: €3000 fine
Misuse of a mobile phone, such as in the dressing room or while being attended by physios is a €250 fine, or a €500-€1000 fine for repeat offenders. Players are fined €250 if they avoid the mandatory weighing session, with fines increasing up to €1000 in the case of repeated offences. If they leave Madrid on a day off or take part in any commercial activities or are interviewed without getting permission in advance they can be fined up to €1000. Players left out of the squad are required to be in the dressing room before the match and to stay in the stadium until at least 10 minutes from the end of the game. Visitors are banned from the dressing rooms and press conferences have to be conducted in official club attire. Not sure a €1000 fine is really all that much of a deterrent to a player five times that a week though!

Spain Squad

Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Man Utd), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea), Pau Lopez (Roma)​
​Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Sergio Reguilon (Sevilla), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Diego Llorente (Real Sociedad), Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Raul Albiol (Villarreal), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Juan Bernat (PSG)
​Midfielders: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Man City), Fabian (Napoli), Dani Ceballos (Arsenal), Luis Alberto (Lazio), Saul (Atletico Madrid), Thiago (Bayern Munich), Pablo Sarabia (PSG)
​Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Rodrigo (Valencia)

UEFA Charges

UEFA have placed a number of charges on clubs on Friday. Ajax have been charged for "acts of damages", "crowd disturbances" and "improper conduct of the team" in their 3-0 away win over Valencia in the Champions League. The Champions League match between Slavia Prague and Borussia Dortmund, which the Germans won 2-0 in Prague, has led to a number of charges. Slavia have been charged over blocked stairways, while Dortmund face charges over "throwing of objects", setting off fireworks" and "acts of damages". Also producing charges is the 4-3 win by Liverpool over Salzburg which has left Liverpool being charged with "field invasion of supporters" and Salzburg with "throwing of objects".

Written by Tris Burke October 04 2019 22:07:48