Football News: Review Of The Day 3rd April 2020

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Review of the Day

Disciplinary Charges

Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has been fined by his club after breaking government lockdown rules. The 31 year old left Munich to visit his ill son. Boateng said: "I know that it was certainly a mistake not to inform the club about my trip, but in the moment I only had my son in mind. He was not in good health. When a son calls his father, of course I will still go, no matter what time. For him I accept any punishment; after all, he is my son. I want to see the father who does not go in such a moment to be with his four-year-old son. If there is a punishment for it, then I respect it. I find it sad." The fine is to be donated to Munich hospitals.

Coronavirus Latest

UEFA have announced a postponement of all the international games scheduled for June. The Champions League and Europa League has been suspended "until further notice".

Barcelona's club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed that the club will save 14m euros a month thanks to the players taking a 70% pay cut on a temporary basis.

Queens Park Rangers head coach Mark Warburton has taken a voluntary pay cut. Despite that the club have announced that a number of staff will go on furlough. QPR's chief executive Lee Hoos said: "With the current suspension of all professional football matches until at least 30 April - and it is fair to assume this will be extended - the club is having to respond to the economic pressures it faces." Warburton also suggest Premier League footballers could raise as much as half a billion pounds by taking a 50% wage cut.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has taken a voluntary pay cut, the first Premier League manager to do so. His assistant Jason Tindall, chief executive Neill Blake and technical director Richard Hughes have also taken a voluntary pay cut which has been termed "significant". "A number of staff" have also been put on paid leave using the government's furlough scheme. Bournemouth's statement read: "As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to gather pace, there are far more questions than answers regarding its effects. One thing is for certain however, the wellbeing of our employees, supporters, local communities and everyone around the world is of far greater significance than football matches. There is no script for moments like this. No tactics and no set plays to find a winning formula, but as a board we are continually looking at ways to ensure the future of the club and our employees is protected when the season returns."

Former Marseille president Pape Diouf has died after contracting coronavirus. Diouf, who was 68, was president between 2005 and 2009. Marseille said: "Pape will remain in the hearts of the Marseillais forever, as one of the great architects in the club's history."

The Belgian Jupiler Pro League have called off their season due to the coronavirus. The decision has not yet been ratified by the the executive board but it is expected to be a formality. If the decision stands, the final league game and subsequent play-offs will be cancelled and the season will be ended as it stands with Club Brugge as league winners.

Atletico Madrid's playing staff have agreed to take a 70% salary cut during the coronavirus crisis. 430 employees of the club have been moved on to part-time hours. Espanyol and Alaves staff have also moved onto part-time work to help their clubs through.

Southend United have put "several staff and some players" on temporary leave, using the government's job retention scheme. Chairman Ron Martin said: "It enables the club to best manage its finances during this time of limited income. I suspect this period will lead to a re-setting of several positions/parameters that have long been accepted as the norm."

Huddersfield Town's board of directors and head of football operations David Webb have all volunteered to take salary deferrals for the next two months. Their chief executive Mark Devlin said: "The suspension of matches until 30 April at the earliest means that some of our staff cannot carry out their roles, so we have placed those staff on furlough for the next two months. All organisations - not just football clubs - will have tough decisions to make down the line, and we will be no different. Every decision we take will be in the best interests of Huddersfield Town. We're constantly reviewing the situation when government advice is updated, and we're given a steer from football's governing bodies. We have to be prepared for the outcome of this pandemic. I believe it could lead to a fundamental shift in football finance, with revenues and costs affected for all clubs in the future. When you see the likes of Barcelona making the same tough decisions, it's an indication of the possible long-term connotations for the industry."

Livingston's chairman Robert Wilson has provided the club with a six-figure contingency fund. Wilson said: "I have every confidence in our business model. So I have today provided a six-figure sum to the club as an interest free contingency fund to assist in underwriting any unforeseen consequences of the current pandemic. Our success in recent years is built on taking a pragmatic approach, and we will survive by applying the same pragmatism to every decision we take. The toughest of those challenges and decisions may still lie ahead of us all. We have guaranteed our players and staff that we will meet their wages in full meantime. However, that in itself is a very fluid situation and it would be financial suicide to entertain the idea that this is sustainable indefinitely. What we can guarantee every single supporter is that we will always put the club first."

Brighton & Hove Albion's chief executive, technical director and head coach have all taken a pay cut for the next three months. Brighton's chief executive Paul Barber said: "It is entirely appropriate that we play a very small part in reducing the financial burden."

And Another List

Transfermarkt have stretched out and moved onto other lists than most valuable players, as they look to make the daily lists carry on for the rest of the shutdown. This time they have listed the players who have won the highest percentage of duels in Europe's top 5 leagues over the course of the season.
Player - Team - Percentage of Duels Won
1. Bruno Alves Parma 78.4%
2. Virgil van Dijk Liverpool 74.9%
3. Grant Hanley Norwich City 70.1%
4. Francesco Acerbi Lazio 70.1%
5. James Tarkowski Burnley 69.6%
6. Jan Vertonghen Tottenham Hotspur 69.6%
7. Presnel Kimpembe Paris Saint-Germain 68.9%
8. Nordi Mukiele RB Leipzig 68.8%
9. Willy Boly Wolverhampton Wanderers 68.8%
10. Marcelo Olympique Lyonnais 68.6%
11. Thiago Silva Paris Saint-Germain 68%
12. Kortney Hause Aston Villa 67.8%
13. Raphael Varane Real Madrid 67.7%
14. Dedryck Boyata Hertha Berlin SC 67.4%
15. Lionel Carole RC Strasbourg 67.2%
16. Dejan Lovren Liverpool 67%
17. Harold Moukoudi Middlesbrough/St Etienne 67%
18. Gabriel Magalhaes LOSC Lille 67%
19. David Garcia Osasuna 67%
20. Hilton Montpellier 66.8%

Milking These Lists Now!

I know that most of you seem to like these lists, but Transfermarkt are really milking them now and have moved on to add one for the most valuable players in Major League Soccer in 2010.
Player - Club - Value in US$
1. David Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy 5.5m
2. Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy 3.3m
3. Michael Orozco Philadelphia Union 1.93m
4. Julian de Guzman Toronto FC 1.93m
5. David Ferreira FC Dallas 1.54m
6. Jamie Smith Colorado Rapids 1.1m
7. Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew 1.1m
8. Juan Pablo Angel New York Red Bulls 1.1m
9. Andre Luiz San Jose Earthquakes 1.1m
10. Fredy Montero Seattle Sounders 1.1m

Definitely Milking It

The lists are really branching out, now it is Serie A spending on agents:
Club - Agent Fees Paid In Euros
1. Juventus 44,320,948
2. Inter Milan 31,819,411
3. AS Roma 23,228,104
4. AC Milan 19,606,875
5. Fiorentina 8,610,175
6. Atalanta 7,307,064
7. Sampdoria 6,851,434
8. Sassuolo 6,158,446
9. Genoa 5,765,815
10. Bologna 5,744,466
11. Napoli 5,201,372
12. Parma 5,082,844
13. Lazio 4,499,416
14. Udinese 4,373,223
15. Cagliari 2,371,324
16. Torino 2,313,250
17. Hellas Verona 1,766,492
18. SPAL 1,272,796
19. Lecce 1,051,820
20. Brescia 506,209

It Is Like A Cow Milked Dry By Now

Yes another list, this time the most valuable players in 2012, at least according to Transfermarkt.
Player - Club - Value in Euros
1. Lionel Messi Barcelona 120m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 100m
3. Andres Iniesta Barcelona 70m
4. Wayne Rooney Manchester United 65m
5. Cesc Fabregas Barcelona 55m
6. Sergio Aguero Manchester City 51m
7. David Silva Manchester City 50m
8. Falcao Atletico Madrid 50m
9. Robin van Persie Arsenal 47.5m
10. Luka Modric Tottenham Hotspur 46m
11. Xavi Barcelona 45m
12. Hulk Zenit St Petersburg 45m
13. Mario Gomez Bayern Munich 42m
14. Franck Ribery Bayern Munich 42m
15. Sergio Busquets Barcelona 42m
16. Fernando Torres Chelsea 42m
17. Neymar Santos 40m
18. Karim Benzema Real Madrid 40m
19. Eden Hazard Chelsea 40m
20. Sergio Ramos Real Madrid 40m
21. Mesut Ozil Real Madrid 40m
22. Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur 40m
23. Thiago Silva Paris Saint-Germain 40m
24. Angel Di Maria Real Madrid 40m
25. Gerard Pique Barcelona 40m

Written by Tris Burke April 02 2020 22:33:26