Football News: Review Of The Day 19th March 2021

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Review of the Day

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Contracts

MK Dons have given veteran captain Dean Lewington a new 1-year deal. The 36-year old full-back was with the club before it moved to Milton Keynes.

Transfers

League Two's Newport County have signed Welsh international midfielder Joe Ledley on a free transfer.

Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta has made the switch from Mexican Liga MX side Atlas Guadalajara to USA's Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati for a fee of £2.45m.

Leaving MLS is Nike Hansen, who has dropped down to Minnesota United FC of the NASL from Houston Dynamo for a fee of £102,000.

French central defender Soumaila Coulibaly has agreed a deal to join Borussia Dortmund for next season. The 17 year old will be out of contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

Injury Round-Up

An injury suffered in the defeat to Manchester United has left AC Milan's Davide Calabria needing athroscopic surgery on his right knee. Milan are also without Ante Rebic, Rafael Leao, Alessio Romagnoli, Mario Mandzukic and Daniel Maldini due to various injuries.

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard has decided against having further ankle surgery and should be set to return in a month.

Managerial Changes

Charlton Athletic have turned to Nigel Adkins following Lee Bowyer quitting as head coach to take over at Birmingham City. Adkins got his break at Southampton, leading them from League One to the Premier League but has been out of work since leaving Hull City in the summer of 2019.

Olympique Marseille have appointed former Plymouth Argyle midfielder David Friio as their new technical director. Friio had been working as their scouting manager after a stint as St Etienne's chief scout. Nasser Larguet is to be the director of their training centre and Matthieu Bouchepillon is the director of performance.

Disciplinary Charges

Forest Green Rovers and Colchester United have been fined by the Football Association for "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion" during FGR's 3-0 win at the New Lawn. The incident occurred when Rovers' midfielder Ebou Adams was sent off for a challenge on the U's Josh Doherty in the 45th minute. Forest Green appealed against the sending off and had Adams' ban rescinded but they were fined £1,000 after they accepted the FA charge against the club. Colchester denied the charge and were fined £2,000.

Morecambe's French midfielder Yann Songo'o has been handed a 6 game ban after he admitted making a homophobic comment during their match with Tranmere Rovers in January. The 29 year old was sent off for foul and abusive language and said: "I'd like to offer a sincere apology for any offence I've caused. I'm really disappointed in myself for using that term, because it does not reflect the type of person I am but it was under provocation. I'm totally against any form of discrimination and I know what I said was totally unacceptable, I can only apologise and ask for forgiveness to anyone I offended.''

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has been charged with improper conduct by the FA, again.

Rams Sale Off

Derby County's owner Mel Morris has cancelled the sale of the club to Derventio Holdings. The deal was originally announced on 6th November last year, but the funds have not been produced to complete the takeover, despite Derventio initially saying they would complete within days. Morris has now begun talks with other potential buyers for the troubled Championship side.

International Problems

A number of international teams, particularly in Africa, are facing problems with the quarantine rules as Hamilton Academical have refused to release striker David Moyo for Zimbabwe duty in the AFCON qualifiers. Moyo would have had to spend 11 days in quarantine in London on his return if he had gone. In France, teams from Ligue 1 and 2 have agreed unanimously to block players from leaving the EU and European Economic Area to avoid having to put them in quarantine on their return. The South American confederation postponed their upcoming qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup to avoid these issues, CAF decided to continue with their AFCON qualifiers regardless.

Germany have been given permission to call up players from Iceland and Britain, after a special permit was granted to enable the national team to do so. The health department has put strict requirements on them, which include daily testing and for those players to go into a "work quarantine" when not training or playing football. They will even have to eat meals away from the rest of the team and the coaching staff.

Inter Milan's players will be unable to attend national duty due to a cv outbreak at the club, which has seen Milan's local health authority ban the players from travelling for 14 days. The outbreak has already forced a postponement to Inter's home match with Sassuolo.

Egypt Squad

Egypt are expecting to avoid the problems most other African nations are having in getting their internationals to join them and have named a strong squad for the African Cup of Nations Qualifiers:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Gennesh (Zamalek), Mohamed Bassam (Tala'a El-Gaish), Amer Amer (Ceramica Cleopatra)
Defenders: Mohamed Hany, Ayman Ashraf, Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Omar Gaber, Ali Gabr, Ahmed Ayman Mansour (Pyramids), Ahmed Fetouh, Mahmoud El-Wensh (Zamalek), Ahmed Hegazi (Ittihad Jeddah).
Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Amr El-Sulya, Hamdi Fathi, Mohamed Magdy Afsha (Al Ahly), Tarek Hamed, Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek), Trezeguet (Aston Villa), Mohamed Farouk, Islam Issa (Pyramids), Mostafa Fathi (Smouha)
Attackers: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray), Hossam Hassan (Smouha), Ahmed Yasser Rayan (Ceramica Cleopatra), Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly).

Northern Ireland Squad

Goalkeepers: Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Burnley), Conor Hazard (Celtic), Nathan Gartside (Derry City).
Defenders: Jonny Evans (Leicester City), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Stuart Dallas (Leeds United), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Conor McLaughlin (Sunderland), Jamal Lewis (Newcastle United), Daniel Ballard (Blackpool - on loan from Arsenal), Ciaron Brown (Cardiff City).
Midfielders: Steven Davis (Rangers), Corry Evans (Blackburn Rovers), Paddy McNair (Middlesbrough), George Saville (Middlesbrough), Michael Smith (Heart of Midlothian), Matthew Kennedy (Aberdeen), Jordan Thompson (Stoke City), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Alistair McCann (St Johnstone).
Strikers: Kyle Lafferty (Kilmarnock), Josh Magennis (Hull City), Conor Washington (Charlton Athletic), Liam Boyce (Heart of Midlothian), Gavin Whyte (Hull City - on loan from Cardiff City), Dion Charles (Accrington Stanley).

England Squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Nick Pope (Burnley).
Defenders: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jesse Lingard (West Ham, on loan from Manchester United), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

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Written by Tris Burke March 19 2021 05:57:22