Football News: CR7 Hotel Chain Set For New York As Brazilian Teen Closes On Barcelona Move

Image from: sport-english.com

1. Three month ban for Pallois
Bordeaux defender Nicolas Pallois has been handed a three month ban by the French league (LFP) following a sending off in a match with Rennes on 22nd November. Pallois was sent off after Rennes were awarded a penalty with the scores at 2-2 in the final minutes, following him verbally abusing the referee and shoving an assistant referee in the back. The struggling Ligue 1 side also saw their head coach, Willy Sagnol, was also sent to the stands during the game. Rennes missed the resulting penalty.

2. Ronaldo looking to open string of hotels
With Cristiano Ronaldo now 30 years old and showing signs of his Real Madrid career winding down, he has invested in a Madeira-based hotel chain with the aim of producing a high class hotel group bearing the CR7 moniker. The Portugal superstar is investing $40m in the Pestana Hotel Group, with an initial set up of four hotels, three of which are in cities related to his career, and the other in New York, which will increase speculation of his intent to join MLS in the near future. Would it be New York Red Bulls or Manchester City's sister club New York City?

3. Agent confirms Barcelona move is close
Teenage Brazilian midfielder Robert, currently at Fluminese, is closing in on a one year loan deal to Barcelona, according to his agent Vitor Leal. The Spanish giants are looking to play the 19 year old in their B team and give him time training with the first team squad to see how he adapts. The move is likely to go through once Barca's transfer ban expires for the January transfer window.

4. Melbourne Victory confirms European giants for July tournament
Melbourne, Australia, will host the International Champions Cup in July 2016, and have now confirmed that Melbourne Victory will be joined in the competition by Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus. This is the Victory's first appearance in the cup, and the first for an A-League club, as it usually involves overseas clubs only. Juventus will face the Victory in the opening match on 23 July, while Spurs have yet to find out their opponents for the initial game.

5. Dirk Kuyt still going strong
He may be 35 years old now but Holland's perpetual motion man, Dirk Kuyt, has still got the knack for scoring important goals late in games. A regular for Feyenoord this season, Kuyt's late goal, in the 119th minute of extra time, was enough for a win over Willem II and qualification for the quarter finals of the KNVB Cup. Kuyt kept his composure to slot home a penalty, after Dries Wuytens pulled down Michiel Kramer.

6. Garde tells Traore he needs to work harder
It is clear that Aston Villa's new manager, Remi Garde, is getting fed up of all the questions about Adama Traore, the club's surprise summer signing from Barcelona. Clearly annoyed with constant questions about his choice to leave the jet heeled 19 year old on the bench, Garde has said that Traore needs to do more, if he is to ever get more than late cameos off the bench for the side currently propping up the Premier League table. Garde said: "Can I ask you why you are asking me this question for Adama and not for another player? He's inconsistent in his game. You cannot have a player except maybe Messi that can walk on the pitch and only plays when his team has the ball. [Adama] is very gifted, I know that. He has brilliant skill, he's tremendous on dribbling and going with the ball but you know it's a small part of the game. In the game, on average, how many minutes do you hold the ball in the game? One minute thirty? Two minutes? And then what are you doing for 80 minutes, 88 minutes? What are you doing? And if you are not doing well, especially in the situation where we are, it's quite a problem because we - as I've said before - need hard workers."

7. Forlan says what everyone is thinking
Former Manchester United forward Diego Forlan has 'revealed' the obvious, in an interview with Omnisport. The Uruguayan has said his old team need to add more strikers. Though it is obvious, it does not make it any less true, with the club's striker options limited by the odd decision to offload as many attacking players as manager Louis van Gaal could get out of the club, probably due to their insistence on trying to move the ball forward, instead of following his philosophy of sideways and backwards passing only, unless Marouane Fellaini is up front to receive aimless long balls. With just 4 goals in the club's last 5 appearances, and Javier Hernandez, who was sold in the summer, outscoring the entire Red Devils team by a considerable margin, as he plays up front for Bayer Leverkusen, the pressure is mounting on Dutch manager van Gaal. Forlan has become just one of a whole host of former Man Utd players to criticise the club's transfer policy in recent weeks.

8. Even more pressure on van Gaal
Following Jose Mourinho's sacking from the role of Chelsea boss, reports have been claiming that he would love the chance to manage Manchester United. With Louis van Gaal under fire from all quarters, this is more unwanted pressure being heaped on the increasingly beleaguered former Netherlands head coach. Mourinho's record stands comparison with anyone, and it is widely believed he was Alex Ferguson's first choice to succeed him, when he retired from the job. Is the Man Utd job becoming impossible for LvG now?

9. Emenalo confirms player power behind Mourinho's departure
Chelsea's technical director, Michael Emenalo, has, in not so many words, confirmed that player power was behind Jose Mourinho's exit from the London club. Last year's champions have slumped this season, in a turnaround of epic proportions, putting them in danger of relegation, despite having almost the same team playing each week as strolled to the league title last season. With a squad that has been almost entirely uncharacteristically poor week in and week out, Mourinho left the club by mutual consent. Emenalo told ChelseaTV, the club's in house television channel, that "there obviously seems to be a palpable discord between manager and players". Which makes the players' tweets of thanks seem all the more hypocritical.

10. FIFA bank accounts frozen
Millions of Swiss Francs have been frozen in FIFA's bank accounts at the request of the US authorities investigating the FIFA corruption allegations. As the scandal grows in scope, and the FIFA ethics committee is set to meet to hear allegations regarding the conduct of Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the Swiss justice ministry has frozen 50 bank accounts belonging to the organisation. While the exact amount has not been confirmed, it was asserted to be a high double digit million amount, according to a ministry spokesman.

Written by Tris Burke December 18 2015 06:24:11