Football News: Review Of The Day 24th October 2019

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Review of the Day

Contracts

Sassuolo have given Italian winger Domenico Berardi a new 5 year deal.

Quini has signed a new 4 year contract with Granada.

Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack has signed a 2 year contract extension, taking his deal until 2023.

Transfers

Andorra FC, owned by Gerard Pique, have signed his wife, Shakira's, nephew Tarik Antonio Mebarak.

Injury Round-Up

Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez has been ruled out for a number of weeks after tests revealed a partial rupture of the internal ligament of his right ankle.

Macc Get A Few Weeks

The winding up petition against Macclesfield Town has been adjourned for "a few weeks" as the club imply Brexit is holding up "international payments" they are waiting for. HMRC took the League Two club to court over an undisclosed debt, reported to be £73,000 back in May when the petition was first adjourned. This is the club's sixth appearance in court in six months and their players and staff asked the EFL for help after salaries were not paid.

Dons Make Hodges Appointment Permanent

AFC Wimbledon have made their caretaker manager Glyn Hodges into their permanent one. The 56 year old former Welsh international took over last month on an interim basis when former manager Wally Downes was suspended over a charge for a breach of FA betting regulations. After Downes was found guilty of the charges by the FA, he left Wimbledon and his assistant Hodges has now taken over permanently. Hodges said: "To have been at Wimbledon as a young apprentice at 16 years of age, then to return and actually get the job, and now to have an opportunity to take the club back to Plough Lane, is what dreams are made of. I'm absolutely delighted and I can't wait to get started. I've enjoyed the last month, it's been fantastic. I will be giving it my all."

Pool Choose Johnson

Blackpool have chosen former Aston Villa and Celtic forward Tommy Johnson as their head of recruitment. It was Johnson's decision to take up this role that led to Henrik Larsson's appointment as Southend United manager to fall through. Blackpool have also brought in Jonathan Gibson as head of technical scouting, after four years as West Bromwich Albion's head of performance analysis.

Wanderers Takeover Given Go Ahead

League One's Wycombe Wanderers are set to be sold to American lawyer Rob Couhig after the club's supporters' trust voted in favour of the takeover. Couhig's firm, Feliciana EFL Ltd. are set to invest £2.2m to settle the Chairboys debt and make a further £1m available in funding as well as paying for a new 15-year lease on the stadium, Adams Park, at a cost of £150,000 per year. Couhig had been set to buy Yeovil Town back in February but pulled out of the deal after the Somerset club were relegated out of the Football League.

Abandoned FA Cup Tie Given New Date

The FA Cup tie between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town, which was abandoned following racist abuse, spit and objects thrown from Yeovil Town fans at the Haringey players, has been rescheduled for 29th October. Both teams walked off the pitch together in a show of solidarity against the abuse. Two men have so far been arrested in connection with the trouble. An FA statement explained: "Following the incident in the original tie and the two arrests already made, the FA's investigation is ongoing. We continue to work with the relevant authorities on our investigation into the matter." A replay date of 5th November has been set aside in case the tie should end in a draw.

Former Benin International Passes Away Aged Just 33

Former Benin midfielder Osseni Bachirou has died in hospital in Benin at the age of just 33. His former teammate Stephane Sessegnon said on social media: "It is with sadness that we learned this morning, the death of Osseni Bachirou our brother, teammate and former captain of the national team of Benin. On behalf of all my teammates in the national team, we extend our sincere condolences to all his family, to the family of Benin football without exception. We are crying for a captain who has just left us. May his soul rest in peace and may Allah preserve him." Bachirou had recently begun a coaching career and was in charge of second-tier side Etente Kandi.

Mali Make Their Caretaker Permanent

The Mali Football Federation has announced that caretaker head coach Mohamed Magassouba has been given the role on a permanent basis. Magassouba had been in charge since September 2017 which Alain Giresse resigned.

Motta Gets First Management Role

Thiago Motta, the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has been appointed as the new manager of Genoa. The 37 year old Brazil-born Italy international only retired from playing last year and previously played for Genoa in the 2008-09 season. Previous manager Aurelio Andreazzoli was sacked on Tuesday.

Spurs Launch Investigation

Tottenham Hotspur's 5-0 hammering of Red Star Belgrade was marred by 200 Red Star fans who illegally attended the game. Red Star fans were banned from buying tickets due to racist behaviour in previous matches but somehow a large group managed to buy tickets for the match. A Spurs' spokesperson said: "Red Star supporters illegally obtained individual tickets on Level 5 and made their way around to one section of the stadium in order to congregate as a group. Stewards and police contained the group as it was too large a number to eject. We have launched a full investigation in order to understand how tickets have been acquired and shall take the strongest possible action against any individual found to have sold their ticket on."

La Liga Unhappy With Chosen Date Of El Classico

La Liga has threatened legal action against the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after it rescheduled the postponed league game between Barcelona and Real Madrid for 18th December, a date both clubs put forward as their preferred date. La Liga is unhappy as the first round of the Copa del Rey is set to take place on that date. A statement from the league read: "La Liga doesn't agree with the competition committee's decision to stipulate 18 December - after an agreement was reached between Barcelona and Real Madrid, despite La Liga's objections - as the date in which the postponed Clasico should be played. We are studying the documentation that we have recently received regarding the process in which the decision was taken. This is in order to evaluate taking possible legal action and against whom it should be tabled, before the relevant and opportune public organisations or legal organisms."

Bayern Complain After Youth Game Abandoned Due To Crowd Violence

An official complaint has been made to UEFA by Bayern Munich after they UEFA Youth League match against Olympiakos had to be abandoned due to crowd violence, with Munich leading 4-0. Bayern have said that several of their fans had to be hospitalised after being attacked by masked thugs during the game. Police have said that around 80 people arrived at the venue in Piraeus on scooters, with around 30 of them, wearing masks or helmets, invading the venue and assaulting Bayern fans with clubs. Olympiakos condemned the atttack: "Olympiakos FC strongly condemns the attack during the match. The invaders have no place among the family of Olympiakos and have nothing to do with the family of Olympiakos."

Liverpool Upset With Their Own Fans

Liverpool has condemned a banner taken by Liverpool fans into the away end during the Champions League victory over Genk. The banner was of Belgium striker Divock Origi, who began his career with Genk, depicting him as having a large penis, with its obvious racial connotations. A Liverpool spokesperson said: "The banner is highly offensive and inappropriate. We condemn its use at the game tonight and sought to have it removed as soon as we became aware. We will look to identify those responsible for bringing it into the stadium and act accordingly."

Freiburg Have A Problem With Their New Stadium

Bundesliga side SC Freiburg's new stadium is not even built yet and they have already been hit by a problem due to noise complaints. Local residents have gone to court to complain about the future noise levels and the administrative court has upheld their protest, ruling that matches cannot be held between 8 and 10pm or on Sundays between 1pm and 3pm. Surely this must be some kind of April Fools day prank? Though it does seem local residents have been trying everything to halt construction, the club having to beat legal challenge in May when the residents in the area cited concerns about noise and increased traffic.

Written by Tris Burke October 23 2019 23:00:18