Football News: Review Of The Day 26th March 2020
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Review of the Day
Transfers
Former West Ham United youngster Vashon Neufville has signed for Canadian Premier League side Atletico Ottawa. The 20 year old has been a free agent since leaving the Hammers in the summer.
Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has revealed he held talks with both Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in an attempt to sign them for the Championship leaders. Leeds were looking to bring in a striker to replace Eddie Nketiah, who had been recalled by Arsenal in the January transfer window. Radrizzani admitted with regards to Cavani: "The (PSG) president had given me the availability to verify the interest with the player's brother. However, the negotiation never flew. I spoke more concretely with Zlatan (Ibrahimovic). He could give us a decisive push but he decided to go to (AC) Milan. He was very honest and transparent with me."
Coronavirus Latest
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has donated 500,000 euros to Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and another 500,000 euros to Argentina to help the fight against the coronavirus.
Rangers midfielder Steven Davis is against playing games behind closed doors when football eventually resumes. The Northern Ireland international said: "Hopefully this season can be played to a finish at the earliest but safest opportunity. Rangers wouldn't exist without its fans, therefore I personally do not believe games should be played behind closed doors. We've been given specific fitness and dietary programmes to follow in the coming weeks to enable us to be in the best physical condition possible to be ready for the challenges of the current season being played out to an end. Football must be secondary right now and it's vital we follow the advice of the government to get this virus under control."
Watford have offered the NHS the use of their Vicarage Road stadium, which is next to Watford General Hospital. The Hornets chairman Scott Duxbury said: "We need to forget football right now and concentrate on doing all we can to support the NHS and, in particular, Watford General Hospital. Our proximity as a football club next door to a hospital puts us in a great position to offer help and we're keen to do whatever we possibly can to support NHS staff and their families. The UK government's message has been about doing 'whatever it takes'. Likewise, we'll do 'whatever it takes' here at Vicarage Road to offer our fullest support to the NHS and its people at a time when it's clearly needed most."
Brighton & Hove Albion have pledged to donate 1,000 tickets to NHS workers when football resumes and their offer has been matched by Bournemouth. League Two's Grimsby Town have put up 50 tickets per league match next season for health care professionals. Brighton's chief executive Paul Barber said: "We are working on a range of things across all areas of the community and I hope this will just be the start. We fully appreciate football is the last thing on anyone's minds at this moment, but we feel this is a small way in which we can show our gratitude for those NHS staff on the frontline who are fighting the battle on behalf of all of us and give them something to look forward to." Bournemouth's chairman Jeff Mostyn added: "We are absolutely delighted to match Brighton's gesture and commit to one thousand tickets, and we will pass the baton to another club with the aim of reaching a significant target so football as a whole can show its appreciation for our country's NHS workers."
Everton defender Michael Keane believes it will not take long for footballers to be ready to play again. Keane said: "It's important we continue to work hard and build up because we don't know when we'll be back in - the Premier League could start again in a month or longer. All the lads have been sent individual training programmes to carry out at home. It's not easy because you've not got the normal equipment, you've just got to improvise and do what you can - we've just got to keep that base level of fitness. As long as we get a couple of weeks proper training before the next game - and the lads have worked hard in the meantime - we'll be fine."
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are to launch a fund worth 500m euros to help clubs struggling financially due to the coronavirus. The money would help clubs who have lost TV money and would be paid back over five years. The RFEF is also set to loan 4m euros to teams outside of the professional game. RFEF president Luis Rubiales has also offered the use of the national team's hotel and staff to the country's health service.
Paris Saint-Germain have donated 100,000 euros extra to long-term partner Secours Populaire Francais to help provide support to children, the elderly and homeless. According to PSG's statement the money will be used for 4 things: 1. Helping the Secours Populaire Français' doctors by paying for personal protective equipment and the training of 2,000 volunteers who can provide information, answer queries and communicate protective measures. 2. Helping isolated children without school by paying for 5,000 educative kits with equipment for lessons, games and recreational activities. 3. Helping approximately 900 homeless people by setting up frequent soup kitchens, providing hygiene products and maintaining social ties. 4. Helping isolated or elderly people by delivering 10,000 food parcels, providing hygiene products and maintaining social ties.
Monaco striker Keita Balde has donated 50,000 euros to the city of Dakar and the hometown of his parents in Senegal. Keita said: "I am united in solidarity with the global fight against coronavirus. I ask all my Senagalese compatriots to closely respect the recommendations from the health services. This is the reason why I participate in the fundraising and ask all opinion leaders, athletes, artists, musicians, to participate. It's a difficult moment but we will win together, like always."
The Champions League match between Atalanta and Valencia, played in Milan's San Siro Stadium, is being blamed for contributing massively to the spread of the coronavirus. A third of Bergamo's entire population made the trip to Milan and 2,500 Valencia fans were there, since then Bergamo has become one of the major epicentres for Covid-19 and 35% of Valencia's team have become infected. Bergamo mayor Giorgio Gori said: "We were mid-February so we didn't have the circumstances of what was happening. If it's true what they're saying that the virus was already circulating in Europe in January, then it's very probable that 40,000 Bergamaschi in the stands of San Siro, all together, exchanged the virus between them. As is possible that so many Bergamaschi that night got together in houses, bars to watch the match and did the same. Unfortunately, we couldn't have known. No one knew the virus was already here. It was inevitable." Head of the intensive care unti at the Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo said: "I'm sure that 40,000 people hugging and kissing each other while standing a centimeter apart - four times, because Atalanta scored four goals (the final result was 4-1) - was definitely a huge accelerator for contagion. Right now we're at war. When peace time comes, I can assure you we will go and see how many of the 40,000 people who went to the game became infected. Right now we have other priorities."
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has donated over 264,000 masks, 15,000 Covid-19 test kits and 1,000 sets of protective equipment. Ramos said: "We have already collaborated with @unicef_es [UNICEF Spain]. Immediate and necessary help! The health material, essential for health professionals, will arrive in Spain on Friday." Ramos has been an ambassador for UNICEF since 2014.
According to Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST), Newcastle have no intention of freezing or delaying payments from fans for their season ticket for next season. Some fans were charged £620 this week, despite football being suspended and many people out of work due to the coronavirus. A NUST statement read: "Newcastle United contacted us earlier today. The club stated it has no intention of freezing or delaying payments, both for those that pay annually and monthly. Newcastle United can still act now and provide much needed support and relief for their fans that are in financial difficulty due to this global emergency." Some Premier League clubs have offered "payment holidays" to help fans out, but then they are not owned by the vile Mike Ashley unlike Newcastle.
Manchester City are to continue to pay matchday staff despite the suspension of football. Staff wil be paid for matches there were due to work, even though the games are not set to take place. City's chief operating officer Omar Berrada wrote to them all to explain the club's stance and informed them that they will be paid for games they were due to work.
Newcastle United midfielder Miguel Almiron has donated 200 litres of hand sanitiser to two hospitals in his native Paraguay. Half is to go to the Acosta Nu Children's Pediatric Hospital and the other half to the Regional Hospital of San Juan Bautista Misiones.
A New List To Fill The Day
This time it is France Football's list of the highest paid managers/coaches in the world.
Manager/Coach - Team - Salary in Euros
1. Diego Simeone Atletico Madrid 40.5m
2. Antonio Conte Inter Milan 30m (9.8m paid by Chelsea)
3. Pep Guardiola Manchester City 27m
4. Jurgen Klopp Liverpool 24m
5. Jose Mourinho Tottenham Hotspur 23m
6. Zinedine Zidane Real Madrid 23m
7. Ernesto Valverde No Club 19m paid by Barcelona
8. Fabio Cannavaro Guangzhou Evergrande 14m
9. Massimiliano Allegri No Club 13.5m paid by Juventus
10. Rafael Benitez Dalian Yifang 13m
11. Carlo Ancelotti Everton 12m
12. Manuel Pellegrini No Club 10.5m paid by West Ham United
13. Maurizio Sarri Juventus 10.3m
14. Leonardo Jardim No Club 10.2m paid by AS Monaco
15. Vitor Pereira Shanghai SIPG 10m
16. Mauricio Pochettino No Club 9.4m paid by Tottenham Hotspur
17. Brendan Rodgers Leicester City 9.1m
18. Thomas Tuchel Paris Saint-Germain 8.5m
19. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer Manchester United 8.3m
20. Bruno Genesio Beijing Guoan 8m
Written by Tris Burke March 25 2020 20:48:01
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