Sudan has been in turmoil for several years, and two men have emerged as key players in the country’s political landscape – General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as “Hemedti.” These two men have been at the center of the conflict in Sudan, with each playing a critical role in shaping the country’s future.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s ruling military council, greets his supporters in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman on Saturday.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is the Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, which was formed in August 2019, following the ousting of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir. Burhan was appointed as the head of the transitional government, which was tasked with steering the country towards civilian rule.
He is a former army general who was appointed as the head of the transitional military council after al-Bashir’s ousting.
On the other hand, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as “Hemedti,” is the Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
The RSF is a paramilitary group that was formed in 2013 to fight against rebel groups in Darfur. Hemedti rose to prominence during the Darfur conflict, and he is considered to be one of the most powerful men in Sudan.
Despite their shared position in the Sovereign Council, Burhan and Hemedti have different political backgrounds and ideologies.
Burhan is considered to be a moderate and has been seen as more willing to negotiate with opposition groups, while Hemedti is seen as a hardliner who is more likely to use force to achieve his goals.
The conflict in Sudan has taken various forms, ranging from economic struggles to ethnic tensions.
The most recent crisis began in October 2022, when protests erupted over the rising cost of living and fuel shortages.
The protests quickly turned violent, with security forces cracking down on demonstrators. The violence has led to the deaths of hundreds of people and forced thousands to flee their homes.
The international community has been closely watching the situation in Sudan, with many countries calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
However, there are also concerns that the conflict in Sudan is becoming a global power struggle, with various countries vying for influence in the region.
The United States, China, and Russia are among the countries that have been accused of interfering in Sudan’s internal affairs.
In conclusion, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as “Hemedti,” are two men who have been at the center of the conflict in Sudan. Their political differences have contributed to the unrest in the country, and the situation remains precarious.
The international community must work together to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Sudan and ensure that the country can transition to civilian rule.
The president of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA),Abraham Kotei Neequaye, claims the organisation is taking its time approaching Seth Gyimah, a boxer who competes in the UK, about representing Ghana.
He contends that Gyimah, also known as Freezy MacBones, must convince the authorities that he is dedicated to fighting for Ghana because they are prepared to offer the required support.
Following his victory over Darryl Sharp last weekend at the Copper Boxing Arena in London, the 33-year-old has been in the news.
With Gyimah hailing from Ghana, there have been calls for the GBA to consider getting the lightweight fighter to contest on the ticket of his country of birth.
However, Kotei Neequaye says the authority will not make the first move to reach out to him.
“We are not supposed to call him. He should reach out to us if he wants to fight as a Ghanaian, we are ready to support him,” he said on Accra-based Angel FM.
In an earlier interview with Joy Sports, the boxer revealed he faced discouraging messages when he first decided to go into boxing.
“It was a tough time [for me when I started boxing] because obviously, we have a lot of great boxers in the UK and as a village boy travelling all the way from Ghana to start boxing here at the age of 27, a lot of criticism came up,” he said.
“A lot of people quizzed my decision to start boxing and asked if there was an injury who was going to look after me. [At that] time I was an amateur – no income and nothing coming up. People said ‘You need to stay focused and keep doing your cleaning job’.
“There was a whole lot but I never let myself down. I kept working hard and working toward my dream, pushing myself up until it happened,” he added.
With his victory from last weekend, Gyimah now pose a record of two wins in his first two professional fights.
Gary Cahill contends that Chelsea’s underperforming players must perform or risk being let go this summer.
Last Saturday, Brighton easily defeated Cahill’s former team 2-1 at home, dropping the Blues to 11th place in the Premier League.
In the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tonight at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard’s team will try to overcome a 2-0 deficit against Real Madrid.
Speaking ahead of the game, Cahill said: “Ultimately, if people are not playing up to their level then they leave or they get sold. That’s my experience at the club.
“As soon as you’re not cutting it, you’re out the team or you’re sold and they get the next best thing in.
“As a player I’d be looking and thinking am I playing to the level I should be? If I’m not, I’d be worried in terms of thinking I’m not going to be here.
Chelsea have a mountain to climb after last week’s 2-0 defeat at the Bernabeu
“The pressure’s on at the big clubs and that’s the difference. Your job’s sometimes easy because you play with better players but the pressure around you is 10 times more than it is when you’re playing at a smaller club.
“If they’re not playing well enough I’m sure the club will move them on, so there’s pressure from everyone.
“Playing for the badge at Chelsea — from my experience and from Lamps’ experience and the lads before us — is to go on and challenge for trophies.
“That’s the whole reason you try and get into the top teams because you want to try and win stuff.”
Cahill, who played forChelsea between 2012 and 2019, highlighted the troubles that come hand-in-hand with the club’s overloaded squad.
The ex-England international, 37, added: “When you’ve got so many players, man-managing is really, really difficult, especially at a big club. You’ve got players all thinking they should play.
“You’re leaving players on the bench that are slightly not happy, you’re leaving a lot of players in the stand.
“It’s really hard to manage that group of players and get the best out of them.”
Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of Real Madrid, does not see anything wrong with Todd Boehly, a co-owner of Chelsea, speaking to the Blues players in the locker room.
Boehly frequently communicates with the team, according to Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard, who said he is okay with that.
According to former Blues manager Ancelotti, if Lampard is okay with it, he does not see a problem.
Chelsea’s 2-1 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday was their third loss in a row, and they are without a win in six (D2 L4), sitting in 11th place in the Premier League.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea, Ancelotti said: “To have a speech from the owner could be an important thing for the players. The Chelsea moment is not a good moment… if the owner wants to talk to the players, absolutely.”
However, he stopped short of signing off on the idea of Madrid president Florentino Perez doing the same in his dressing room.
“If [Perez] wants to talk to me every game, I would be happy to do that,” he said. “The owner[/president] has the right to know what the decisions of the manager are.”
Los Blancos take a 2-0 lead into the second leg at Stamford Bridge, and Ancelotti knows the job is not yet done, with his team almost throwing away a two-goal advantage at the same stage against the same opposition in last year’s competition.
After winning 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, Madrid were 3-0 down in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, only for a Rodrygo goal to send it to extra-time before Karim Benzema scored the winner.
“[We have] plenty of motivation,” he said. “It’s a big game, and we know we have to put in a good performance.
“There are still at least 90 minutes to play, and anything can happen, but we will be ready.”
The Italian would not be drawn on links with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, with reports suggesting Madrid and Manchester City are at the front of the queue for the England international after Liverpool allegedly withdrew their interest due to finances.
“Unfortunately, Bellingham is a Dortmund player, and I don’t like to talk about players of other teams. Sorry,” Ancelotti said.
The FIFA 23 EA Sports Team of the Season nominations left out Ghanaian and Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey.
Partey wasn’t on the list of prospective midfielders despite being an important player for Arsenal and helping them to victory in the Premier League.
With 26 Premier League appearances, 24 starts, and three goals this season, the 29-year-old has been an important player for Arsenal.
In their quest for the top spot in the table, Arsenal is four points ahead of Manchester City thanks to his services.
However, the FIFA 23 EA Sports Team of the Season nominations have seen the likes of Bruno Guimarães of Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, and Palhinha of Fulham named among the potential midfielders to make the team.
Despite the snub, Partey’s exceptional performances this season have not gone unnoticed by fans and pundits alike, who have praised his performances.
After hanging up his boots, former Ghanaian footballer Kwadwo Asamoah has teamed up with prominent agent Oliver Arthur to set up an academy and construct a small stadium in Accra.
After a respectable playing career in which he made 279 appearances in the Serie A and made 250 starts, Asamoah decided to retire from professional football.
He won 13 trophies overall.
Over the course of the period, he contributed 24 assists in addition to his 12 goals.
The 34-year-old holds the record as an African player with the most appearances in the Italian Serie A while playing for Udinese, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Cagliari.
The versatile footballer also made 32 UEFA Champions League and 16 Europa League appearances together with 17 Coppa Italia matches.
Asamoah joined Juventus in June 2012 for 18 million Euros, a fee that was widely regarded as a big one during that time, making him one of the most expensive African players.
Asamoah played 71 times for the Ghana national team, where he scored four goals since making his Black Stars debut on February 11, 2009.
Arthur posted on his Twitter page after sharing photos of the academy project:
“The dream is big, and we are committed to making it a reality. Most importantly, the impact would be massive.
Having started his career at lower-tier club Asokwa Deportivo before moving to Liberty Professionals and then to Italy where he spent majority of his career, Asamoah knows how it is to realise your dream through projects like an academy.
The respected player aims at using his connections to impact the life of the youth who dreams of playing football at the highest level.
At a press conference on Monday, Barcelona president Laporta defended his team against claims that they gave money to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the referee technical committee.
While prosecutors in Spain pursue accusations for alleged corruption, UEFA is looking into the Blaugrana.
Barca is charged with paying more than €7 million to a Negreira-owned company.
Laporta opted to turn the spotlight on Madrid when claiming his club have no case to answer, suggesting Real have “historically and currently” been favoured by arbitration decisions, attaching it to former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.
That led Los Blancos to respond with an extraordinary and lengthy video which was broadcast on social media and Real Madrid TV, detailing Barcelona’s links to Franco.
The video initially asked “which is the team of the regime?” in clear response to Laporta’s comments before compiling its case.
“The Camp Nou was inaugurated by Franco’s general minister, Jose Solis Ruiz,” the video stated.
The video also pointed out Barcelona’s success in comparison to Madrid during the initial Franco era, 1939 until his death in 1975, along with that his administration helped save the club from bankruptcy three times.
Following Liverpool’s 6-1 thrashing of Leeds in Monday’s Premier League match, Jurgen Klopp praisedhis team’s “best game in a long time.”
At Elland Road, two players—Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota—each scored a hat trick after Cody Gakpo’s opening goal and Darwin Nunez’s late goal.
With a game remaining against fifth-place Tottenham, the win brought an end to Liverpool’s five-game losing streak in all competitions and brought Klopp’s team closer to the six-point threshold needed to qualify for the Europa League.
The Liverpool manager pinpointed his side’s intensity as a key factor in arresting their previously poor form.
“I think it’s the best game we’ve played this season from all different perspectives and aspects of the game,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“I think we forced a lot of errors, but it was a really good game, sensational goals and counter-pressing – it was the best game for a long time.
“My favourite part was in the 92nd minute we chased the poor boy on the ball from Leeds. I am really happy with that game.”
Klopp elaborated further as he suggested Liverpool have started to click, with a pivotal moment in their season coming after fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Arsenal on April 9 at Anfield.
He added: “It’s a general thing. To play good football you need stability, the stability you only get from defending, but when you are in this kind of negative flow then you make wrong decisions.
“You think to play better you have to be foremost concerned with the offensive stuff. We can be super offensive-orientated, if we react in the right moment.
“I can’t explain why our counter-pressing didn’t work, but tonight it clicked. It clicked in the second half against Arsenal.
“Tonight I’m not sure how many goals we scored after we won the ball back – that makes all the difference and I think we know that.
“But there is always a bit of difference from knowing and understanding and really feeling it.”
16 – Leeds have conceded 16 goals in their four Premier League games in April this year, eight more than any other side, and one more than they shipped in January, February and March combined (15 in 11 games). Foolish. pic.twitter.com/hwvwIiB3J1
Liverpool are nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United and an unlikely Champions League qualification,with Klopp acknowledging a top-four push may be out of the Reds’ reach.
“Where we end up I don’t know, but it will go on after the season, so we need all the games to understand,” he continued.
“The games are super important. If we can’t get anything this season, then we have to build on good performances from this last part of the season.
“I have no clue if we can get close, but I don’t think it’s too important. I would like to see us with the same desire, the same passion, the same understanding that we showed tonight.”
Ciro Immobile, a striker for Lazio, has asserted that he “behaved correctly” during a car accident in Rome involving a tram.
Lazio have announced that their captain was injured in the collision that nearly wrecked his car, suffering a fractured rib and a spinal cord damage.
In a recent Instagram Stories statement, Immobile’s attorney denied any misconduct on behalf of his client.
“The thoughts of my client Ciro Immobile, who is shaken over what happened today, go to his two daughters and to the driver of the tram, who he hopes will have a quick recovery,” read the statement.
“[He is] Relieved that nobody suffered serious injuries, aware in this moment that he behaved correctly, he has full trust in the authorities who are completing their investigation.”
Conflicting theories have already emerged regarding the cause of the crash. The driver of the tram told Repubblica: “I remember I passed a green traffic light and saw the car coming at full speed.”
However, the Corriere dello Sport has reported the tram went through a red light before hitting Immobile’s car,something Immobile was seen claiming in videos posted on social media.
“The tram went through a red light,” he said. “Luckily I’m fine, my arm just hurts a little.”
The incident occurred after Immobile had scored in a 3-0 win for Lazio against Spezia on Friday in Serie A.
Immobile now has 12 goals for the season for Lazio from 30 appearances in all competitions.
Barcelona’s main players Pedri, Ousmane Dembele, and Frenkie de Jong have resumed their training regimen as the Blaugrana inch closer to their first league championship in three years.
All three of Barcelona’s regulars have endured protracted absences.
Three players—Dembele in late January, Pedri in mid-February, and De Jong right before the month’s international break—all sustained injuries.
While all three are back on the training pitch, no official return date has been set.
However, it is possible that both De Jong and Pedri will feature in the Blaugrana’s clash with third-placed Atletico Madrid this weekend, according to AS.
The trio’s return comes at a welcome time for Xai’s side.
Barcelona are winless in their last three fixtures, and have now been held scoreless for nearly 400 minutes in all competitions.
The revelation that deputy midfielder Sergi Roberto will be out of up to six weeks only makes their need for reinforcements more pressing.
Pedri and De Jong seem on track to return for their club’s fixture on Saturday, while Dembele might need an extra week tosettle back into the side.
During Game 1 of their playoff series, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers was sported monitoring the Memphis Grizzlies.
With role players thriving against the No. 2 seed, the Lakers pulled off a comfortable 128-112 victory.
The 38-year-old finished his 267th playoff game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. He was quiet but effective.
James is also playing in his 51st playoff series, tying Derek Fisher for the most by a player in NBA history, per ESPN.
Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura stole the show for the 17-time NBA champions, scoring a combined 52 points.
James eavesdrops on Brooks
In the second quarter, Brooks was called over by Grizzlies coach, Taylor Jenkins who wanted to pass a message. As he strode towards Jenkins, James hilariously followed him.
As Brooks leaned in to hear what his coach was saying, the scoring king did the same.
It is common for opposing players to sneak into the opponent’s huddles. Lance Stephenson famously did the same when his Indiana Pacers faced James’s Miami Heat in the playoffs in 2014.
The Grizzlies’ defeat was overshadowed by a hand injury to franchise player, Ja Morant. It is unclear if the point guard will return in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
After making a full recovery from his injury, Christian Eriksen anticipates that Manchester United will fight to the end of a demanding season.
The 2-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday marked the Danish international’s first start since January.
After appearing off the bench against Everton and Sevilla, Eriksen is back to help United compete for additional hardware in the FA Cup and Europa League.
But he says it is imperative Erik ten Hag’s side do not neglect the league, as they aim to secure Champions League football for next season.
“Every game now until the end is going to be very important,” he told MUTV. “Someone is going to drop down, [and] someone’s going to go in front.
“So if we stay on the front foot like we are now, we’re going to be in a very good position and be safe for the Champions League before the season is done.”
A post-EFL Cup wobble looks to be behind United, though they conceded twice late on against Sevilla in Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Victory over Forest, particularly with several key stars on the sidelines, emphasised what Eriksen feels to be a strong squad ethos over recent months.
“They’ve impressed me,” he added. “They’ve kept the intensity, they’ve kept the level for how they play. The games, everything, even from the outside, has been looking good.
“If you take into account how we started [the season], it’s a completely different feeling around the club and also on the pitch. The feeling around the boys is really good.”
With three victories in a row since taking over as Crystal Palace’s manager, Roy Hodgson has put his critics to shame.
Following the firing of Patrick Vieira, the 75-year-old ex-England manager returned from retirement last month to attempt and keep his boyhood club from being demoted.
Hodgson has rapidly reinvigorated a club that had lost 13 straight games and was headed for the Championship before his arrival, despite much scepticism surrounding his appointment.
We take a closer look at the wily coach’s impressive impact.
Build from the back
Saturday’s 2-0 win at Southampton was only the third time this season Palace had combined a Premier League victory with a clean sheet.
Though Eberechi Eze’s second-half brace stole the headlines, the Saints started on the front foot and Hodgson’s backline had to weather an early storm.
Their dogged defending — combined with some woeful finishing from the hosts — allowed the Eagles to grow into the contest and eventually show a ruthless cutting edge.
Hodgson explained: “I thought Southampton were good in the first half. They played with a lot of energy and intensity and made runs behind us which stretched our defending capacity to the hilt.
“We got through that, largely down to a back four that did a really good job under that pressure.”
One player who has starred under Hodgson’s watch is creative midfielder Eze.
Remarkably, the ex-QPR ace had managed only four goals in 28 top-flight appearances under Vieira this term, but already has three in three under Hodgson.
The 24-year-old’s technical ability has never been in doubt, with England manager Gareth Southgate previously name-checking Eze as a player firmly in his thoughts.
Hodgson, who coached the Three Lions between 2012 and 2016, thinks his fellow Londoner has what it takes to star on the international stage.
He said: “If you are talking about a player’s ambition, as young as he is, there’s a massive possibility for him to keep improving and doing well with every Premier League game he plays.
“If I was him, I would be saying: ‘I’m so good, that I’m going to make that [England] my ambition’.”
Confidence is king
While statistics are one way of measuring a team’s improvement, confidence is an equally important factor to consider.
Since gaining a crucial late victory over Leicester, Palace’s players are now playing with a level of freedom not seen for some time.
Prior to seeing off the Foxes, the tactician said: “Our main task, as I see it, having taken over a group which is clearly stronger technically than the one we left behind two years ago, is to make sure those players don’t lose faith or start thinking we aren’t capable.
“It’s so easy to lose confidence and make you doubt all the things you think you’re good at doing.”
Inspired choice
Palace took plenty of stick for disposing of Vieira, who had endured a tough run of fixtures prior to his sacking.
But regardless of whether the Frenchman would have turned things around, Hodgson’s temporary return has proven an inspired choice from the Eagles hierarchy.
Should his remarkable winning run continue, speculation may start relating to an extension of his contract — though all sides are still said to view the venture as a short-term exercise.
If this is indeed Hodgson’s managerial swansong, it is proving a fitting farewell for one of football’s most versatile and underrated coaches.
Jurgen Klopp claims he has the hunger to get the Reds back on track and says Liverpool will attempt to be “smart” with whom they sign during the forthcoming transfer window.
They are currently out of all cup competitions and are currently eighth in the Premier League.
A week ago, there were rumours that the club had given up on Jude Bellingham because Borussia Dortmund had raised their asking price, which further infuriated the supporters.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Leeds United on Monday, Klopp said people will just have to “wait and see” when it comes to their transfer plans.
“There’s really nothing to say. You have to wait until we finish our business and then you will see what we did,” he said.
“We have to be ready for praise or criticism. We’ll work from the first day of the new season with the boys and we’ll really go for it – that’s much more important.
“All the rest is speculation from the media. We have nothing to do with that.”
Liverpool have been linked with players such as Mason Mount, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in recent weeks, and Klopp expressed his belief that those in charge of transfers at the club are well-placed to solve their issues.
“We always try to be smart in our recruitment,” Klopp said. “I am 100 per cent sure that if you gave the power stick to a few people, then next season we’d bring in 20 new players.
“If you gave it to a few others, then we’d bring old players back when we were successful before and stuff like this. We are in charge, that’s what we decided on and let’s go from there.
“It’s an interesting period, very interesting and we always try to be smart in the transfer market, so it’s not completely new to us.”
Klopp is coming to the end of his eighth season in charge at Anfield, with three more years left on his contract, and he remains as driven as ever despite this season’s difficulties.
“Yes, I am still motivated,” he said. “Maybe even more, because now I know everybody here and I feel even more responsible for everything.
“I’ve said it a couple of times, it’s a little bit strange when you have to say ‘I’m fully in’ because maybe people from the outside question it. But no, motivation is absolutely not my problem.”
The German believes he has identified the problems he must solve, and is “looking forward” to the challenge, adding: “The way we defend, that must be much clearer.
“We also have to work on the way we attack and how we control games. It’s a big job, but it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
Such agencies are expected to see a major increase in business as a result of the plans, which reward childminders double for using an agency.
Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said the revelations amounted to “another day and another accusation of a Conservative prime ministers bending the rules”.
“After months of Conservative sleaze and scandal, the public just want a government who are focused on the country, rather than saving their own skin.”
Downing Street said the Prime Minister would clarify how the company ownership had been declared as a ministerial interest, rather than to the Commons.
The sleaze watchdog of parliament has opened an investigation against Rishi Sunak over allegations that he failed to disclose a conflict of interest.
After it was discovered that a daycare organisation owned in part by the prime minister’s wife, Akshata Murty, would profit from budgetary policy changes, the prime minister came under fire.
While discussing the childcare reforms at a parliamentary committee last month, the prime minister did not bring up his wife’s involvement, despite being prompted to do so.
In an announcement on Monday, the parliamentary commissioner for standards said the prime minister was being probed because of a possible failure to declare an interest.
A Downing Street source confirmed that the investigation related to the childcare agency.
The probe is not the first time Ms Murty’s finances and business interests have put the political spotlight on her husband.
The heiress and venture capitalist, who is worth hundreds of millions of pounds, was criticised afterThe Independent revealed last year that she was avoiding tax by assuming non-dom status.
She later renounced the status after the revelations caused an outcry.
Mr Sunak was specifically asked about possible conflicts of interest relating to the budget when he appeared at a hearing of the Liaison Committee last month.
Asked whether he had anything to declare at the time by Labour MP Catherine McKinnell, he said: “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way.”
A No 10 spokeswoman said: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.”
The government is to test incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession, and £1,200 if they join through an agency like the one part-owned by the prime minister’s wife.
Saka has been a key player in his team’s surprising Premier League title challenge, despite missing a penalty when the Gunners lost a two-goal lead in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with West Ham.
He has already established himself as a regular for England and has attracted the attention of several major European clubs after being named one of the game’s most promising young players.
But two-time Premier League winner Lescott only sees Saka, 21, leaving North London if Arteta departs the Emirates.
Speaking during a visit to LiveScore HQ, Lescott said: “Saka could play for anyone.
“I don’t think any club would not take him and it wouldn’t surprise me if he went on to play for a Real Madrid or Barcelona.
“But I don’t see it any time soon, if at all. He’s an Arsenal fan and he loves it.
“I think as long as Arteta is manager there, he won’t think about leaving.
“The moment Arteta leaves, then maybe, because I think he’s probably the only manager that could convince him to go elsewhere.”
Surprising start
Lescott, 40, played alongside Arteta for three years at Everton and has been pleasantly surprised by the Spaniard’s successful transition to the dugout.
“But definitely, he’s got to be regarded up there because Arsenal haven’t been real contenders for so long and we’ve seen how hard it is for other coaches to do that.
“I think to create that environment takes time and obviously Arsenal were right to believe in the process.”
Lescott admits he did not expect the Gunners to still be fighting for league glory this late in the campaign.
The former England ace added: “I knew Mikel had the abilities to be a coach but I didn’t see it going the way it has so early in his managerial career.
“The consistency Arsenal have shown throughout the season is amazing. I was sceptical as to whether they could maintain it when Gabriel Jesus got injured.
“But Eddie Nketiah came in and did exceptionally well, while the team found a way to win — and I think that’s been key.”
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne scored the eighth Premier League goal of the year, and Pep Guardiola praised their “special connection” after the game.
The two played a crucial role in City’s 3-1 victory over mediocre Leicester City on Saturday.
Haaland equaled Mohamed Salah’s record for the most goals in a season (38 games) by scoring twice to bring his league total to 32.
His second goal came when he latched onto a precise De Bruyne throughball, marking the eighth time the Belgium international has teed up a Haaland strike in the top flight this term.
That is one off the joint record of nine, shared by Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min and ex-Liverpool forwards Stan Collymore and Robbie Fowler.
“I think the connection between Erling and Kevin is obvious,” Guardiola said. “I think Kevin needs the runners to do his biggest quality.
“Erling needs an assist player to make his positive runs. It’s a natural way. We talk a lot about ‘take a look at him when he runs and put the ball there’.
“But what I like about that second goal is Kevin won the duel. I love that. He won the duel and after that, the run and finish from Erling was fantastic.”
De Bruyne’s eight assists to Haaland is three more than any other Premier League player has managed to a team-mate this term, with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes having set up Marcus Rashford on five occasions.
Victory over Leicester, combined with Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against West Ham, means City are just four points off the Gunners with a game in hand.
The title rivals will meet on April 26, in what looks set to be the decisive clash.
Blaugrana head Laporta has also asserted that Barca is the target of retaliation owing to their backing for the Super League plans that failed and sought to usurp UEFA’s authority.
Regarding Barca’s alleged wrongdoing, he continued, “Nothing is accidental. When Barca starts to emerge from a tunnel, this campaign starts. We have financially rescued Barça. As competitors, we are doing well.
I see a very good reason for trying to sportly undermine us here. We must therefore be more unified than ever.
Coincidentally, the campaign also goes off the rails when FCB refuses to sign the contract with CVC.
We do not yield to their desires. For Barca’s financial interests, we prefer other, much better alternatives. It is clear that this is not an accident.
Legal proceedings are underway, while Barca face the threat of sanctions from domestic and European governing bodies.
There have been suggestions that they could be barred from competing in the 2023-24 Champions League, but Laporta believes that the efforts of La Liga president Javier Tebas to tarnish Barca’s reputation will come to nothing.
Laporta has said: “If I have spoken of Tebas it has been because, as president of the LFP, he is behaving absolutely irresponsibly.
He says that Barca had recognised that these services did not exist and that is not the case.
Thanks to the compliance work, from 2014 to 2018. Mr. Tebas tried to get UEFA to participate in this public lynching.
“Initially, Mr. Ceferin made some statements, but now he is acting prudently. So far, Ceferin has not fallen into Mr. Tebas’s trap.
I think that throughout the history of football there have been real scandals. Here a false hypothesis is validated.
From the inputs I have, UEFA understands that this is in a judicial process. I understand that it will be pronounced when there is a trial. We will carry on as normal.”
Blaugrana supremo Laporta has also claimed that Barca are being targeted due to their support for the failed Super League plans that threatened to wrestle power away from UEFA.
He added on the allegations made against Barca: “Nothing is accidental. This campaign comes when Barca begins to come out of a tunnel. We have saved Barça financially. We are competing well too.
I see here a clear reason to try to destabilise us sportingly. That is why we have to be more united than ever.
“Coincidentally, the campaign also explodes when FCB does not sign the agreement with CVC. We do not bow to their interests.
This campaign also occurs when Barca is working for a new European competition format.
They are trying to get UEFA to join this public lynching. It is no coincidence. This campaign is gaining momentum just as FCB awards the Camp Nou works to an international company.
All these coincidences explain why. This added to what I have been explaining before.”
Kolo Toure, a former defender for Manchester City and Arsenal, has explained the distinction betweenErling Haaland, a hot-shot striker, and his former teammate Thierry Henry.
The Norwegian attacker tied Mohamed Salah’s record for most goals in a single season with his 32nd Premier League goal against Leicester City.
Haaland, who scored twice against the Foxes, needs two more goals to tie the 34 goals per season records held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
The 22-year-old’s performances has seen him draw comparisons with some of the greats to ever play in the Premier League, including Thierry Henry.
While analyzing the qualities of the Man City forward, Toure revealed where Haaland lacked in comparison with Henry.
“For me when I look at him he is strong, powerful. Technically, he is not unbelievable. You can see his feet is not amazing but what he does is that when he is in the box, he always makes sure he is in the right position, very aggressive and makes double movement in his run.
He fakes you to go forward and stays back and sometimes fakes you to stay back and he moves upfront,” Toure told Sky Sports.
“For meThierry Henry had something, if you feed him great. If you don’t, he will come back take the ball, dribble one or two players and score. I don’t think Haaland has that. Very rarely, you see him take the ball and attack tow players and score.”
Toure and Henry were part of the Arsenal invincible team that won the league title in 2003/04 season.
Haaland equals Salah’s record
Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Erling Haaland continued with his fine goalscoring form after he bagged a first-half brace against Leicester City on April 15.
The Manchester City striker scored from the penalty spot before chipping the ball over Daniel Iversen to add to John Stones’ early opener.
Haaland’s goals took him to 32 goals for the campaign, equalling Mohamed Salah’s best season goal tally that he set in the 2017/2018 season.
The Arsenal have been the overwhelming favourites to win the league this season for weeks, with defending champions Man City being forced to play catch-up.
The team led the championship race by eight points, giving Mikel Arteta’s men the appearance of seizing control.
However, two damaging draws against Liverpool and West Ham United are threatening to extinguish their hopes of conquering the English top flight for the first time in close to two decades.
In both fixtures, the north Londoners surrendered a two-goal advantage to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal’s latest stalemate came at the hands of West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday, April 16.
The visitors raced to a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes before the Hammers sprung a comeback via Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen to settle for a draw.
The result left Arsenal just four points above second-placed Man City, who still have a game in hand.
What Arsenal must do to win EPL
For the Emirates dwellers to be crowned Premier League champions this season, a couple of things need to go their way.
With only seven games left to end the season, Arsenal fans will be keeping their fingers crossed as the campaign enters its homestretch.
Sports Brief now takes a look at five things that must happen for Arsenal to cart home the coveted crown.
The Spaniard’s biggest headache is perhaps how to line up in his attack after the return of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.
Arteta’s squad rotation and tactics are expected to play a key role in how the remainder of their campaign pans out.
Haaland appears to troll Arsenal
In news related to Arsenal’s draw with West Ham, Sports Brief reported on Erling Haaland’s reaction to the result on social media.
The Norwegian posted a photo of himself on Twitter moments after the cracker with the caption ‘Mood’ in what is seen as a jibe at his team’s title rivals.
The Serie A giants lured the Belgian international striker back to San Siro in the summer of 2022, a year after selling him to Chelsea Bridge for £98 million ($122 million).
Lukaku has struggled to find his footing since moving back to Italy, scoring only seven goals in 24 appearances across all competitions this season.
Only three efforts have come in the league, with two of those strikes coming from the penalty spot.
Lukaku’s last Serie A goal from open play came in a season opener against Lecce in August 2022.
With the 29-year-old struggling for form and fitness this term, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Inter will not be looking to bring him back for 2023-24.
Instead of holding more talks with Chelsea, Inter will be turning their attention elsewhere.
Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and Borussia Monchengladbach star Marcus Thuram are said to be in the Nerazzurri’s thoughts, as they are both heading towards free agency.
Argentina-born Italy international Mateo Retegui, who is currently on loan at Tigre, is another top target for the Milan giants.
With no deal for Lukaku on the cards, the burly Belgian will be forced to return to west London this summer – with his contract atChelsea due to run until 2026.
Danny Welbeck, a graduate of the Manchester United academy, made his Three Lions debut in a friendly match against the Black Stars in March 2011. The Ghana Football Association began pursuing Welbeck when he was 18 years old, but they were unsuccessful.
According to Dan Kwaku Yeboah, Danny Welbeck had agreed to play for the Black Stars after he was convinced by the legendary Asamoah Gyan who at the time was playing in the Premier League for Sunderland.
However, the move was blocked after former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Fergusson threatened Danny Welbeck who was a teenager at the time.
Dan Kwaku Yeboah alleged that Sir Alex Fergusson told Welbeck that switching allegiance to play for Ghana will end his Manchester United career.
“Look, Asamoah Gyan singlehandedly was able to convince Danny Welbeck to come and play for Ghana. Danny Welbeck agreed to play for Ghana.”
“Asamoah said a day beforethe boy decided officially, Sir Alex Fergusson heard about it and threatened him not to play for Ghana because that would be the end of his Manchester United career,” Dan Kwaku Yeboah said while discussing how the GFA can use legends to attract Ghanaian players born abroad.
Meanwhile, Danny Welbeck in December 2022 said there was no official proposal from the Ghana Football Association for him to switch nationality to play for the Black Stars.
“There wasn’t like an official approach from Ghana to come and play for them or anything like that, so it wasn’t as hard as a decision like people would have thought,” Welbeck said in an interview with UK-based Ghanaian musician, Michael Dapaah.
Formerly, Shakhtar Donetsk’s goals were limited to winning awards, but now the illustrious Ukrainian football club has loftier goals, like funding medical care for injured soldiers abroad and helping orphans find new homes.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the club, one of only two Ukrainian teams to win a European club championship after winning the 2009 UEFA Cup, has spent all available funds through its foundation Shakhtar Social.
They paid 100,000 euros ($110,000) each to send five seriously injured soldiers to hospitals in Israel, the US, and Spain for medical care.
“You cannot imagine what injuries they have,” Shakhtar CEO Sergey Palkin told AFP in a phone interview.
“Two of them are paralysed, others suffered catastrophic wounds in a rocket detonation.
“It is very difficult to control one’s emotions when one sees them.
“We want to give them a chance of a normal life. These hospitals have very sophisticated procedures.
“The families cannot sustain those expenses and the government has no capability to provide this financial help so we are taking care of them.”
Children have suffered too amid the death and destruction. Some have been killed, some have been left as orphans and others have been forcibly taken to Russia.
“We have looked after 31 children, who lost their parents due to the war and we have found them 17 families,” said Palkin.
“We provide living expenses, medical treatments, iPads and try to normalise the situation from a psychological point of view.
“These children have been left traumatised by the violent loss of their parents.”
His father-in-law Ivan Petrenko was killed in action in the Donbas in May last year.
“The guys who were with him saw him die,” Petryak told AFP.
“For us as a family it is the worst situation as we cannot find the body and we cannot make the funeral to say goodbye.
“This is the worst for us as we do not know what to do as we have no information about him.”
‘Bit of a circus’
Shakhtar have bitter experience of what it is like to be displaced. The club hosted matches in the 2012 European Championship but two years later they were on the move after the Russians seized Crimea.
They played in Kyiv before the war and are now in Lviv.
Little did they realise they would play host to more refugees from the Donbas region eight years later as the Russian army swept in once again.
“We accepted more than 2,000 refugees from the eastern part of Ukraine,” said Palkin.
“We provide food, medical treatment, including psychological treatment, helping people to concentrate on what they should do regarding their next steps.
“Many lost houses, apartments, their passports and personal documents.”
Petryak says he cannot envisage a scenario where he takes to a pitch in the future against a Russian team — “they are like zombies” he says of the Russian players and their support of President Vladimir Putin.
Equally he is dumbfounded that IOC President Thomas Bach has left the door open for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Olympics in Paris next year.
“The situation is not possible,” he said.
“Bach is very wrong. Every day they kill our children, people, athletes.
“More than 200 athletes have been killed and he wants to say Russia and Belarus are allowed at the Olympic Games. How is it possible?
“It is unbelievable. For me it is a bit of a circus.”
Petryak says he understands why the vast majority of foreign players went out on loan once the conflict took hold.
He is extremely proud though that despite losing a huge amount of Brazilian talent, the club still finished third in their Champions League group and reached the last 16 of the Europa League this season.
“Some athletes have taken up the gun,” he said.
“My team, we support the country with money and we can give more from this side.
“I am not criticising those who took up the gun but we feel the better we play, the more money we can send to the the army and other athletes.
Jose Luis Mendilibar, the manager of Sevilla, wants his squad to “release the cords that tie us” and rise to the challenge of Thursday’s Europa League duel with Manchester United.
Sunday’s 2-0 LaLiga victory over Valencia was achieved despite Mendilibar’s perception that the performance lacked something.
He hopes that his squad reaches its peak at the ideal time and views it as a big blessing that they can still win even when they are not playing at their best.
Sevilla’s comeback in Manchester has tied the quarterfinal match at 2-2 going into the second leg.
Speaking after his team’s victory at Mestalla, Mendilibar said: “We have to gain confidence. Sometimes you don’t play well and the result is with you. That makes you think that when you play well, you’re going to do even better.
“It’s going to give us peace of mind to be able to compete against Manchester on Thursday.”
Messy defending from a corner allowed Loic Bade to sneak in to poach Sevilla’s opener against Valencia in the 55th minute, before Suso’s clean hit into the left corner in the 75th minute sealed the win.
Valencia had Ilaix Moriba sent off late on as the game ran away from them.
“We’re having success in front of goal,” said Mendilibar. “We’ve scored two goals in each game, It’s what’s giving us life.”
It is true that Sevilla have scored twice in each of their last four matches, winning twice and being held to draws in the other two games.
“We hope to be able to remove the ropes that bind us,” Mendilibar said.
United also won 2-0 on their travels on Sunday, beating Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Mendilibar knows the threat Erik ten Hag’s team will pose, but likes Sevilla’s future prospects and said: “We hope to be able to bring quality into play from now on, not just with goals.”
Denis Zakaria has acknowledged Chelsea’s terrible performance against Brighton in the Premier League and said he felt horrible for the supporters.
Denis Zakaria expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance during the 2-1 loss to Brighton on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
The player also revealed that interim coach Frank Lampard had given the team some direct feedback following the defeat, but he declined to say what was said.
He also warned the Blues that they did need to play a lot better if they want to come back from a 2-0 deficit against Real Madrid from the first leg to qualify for the Champions League semi-final.
“Yes, I think it is good [that Lampard is honest] because we need more. We are not good. It is tough. It is difficult and we feel bad for the fans because we cannot play like that. It is tough and we have to do better. It is hard.
“We are now going to do everything we can to come through the game against Real Madrid and win this game. We will give everything until the end.”
The Swiss midfielder, who joinedChelsea on loan from Juventus in the summer, has appeared in just 11 matches for the club thus far. He featured in the club’s starting lineup against Brighton for the first time since January.
The Blues are winless in their last six matches in all competitions and are on a three-match losing streak at the moment.
A little less than two weeks ago, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly made the call to legendary Blues player Frank Lampard, asking him to return and try to right the ship.
It might have been Carlo Ancelotti speaking to the American in a different reality.
Ancelotti, who will be playing for Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg match on Tuesday, will instead return to the Stamford Bridge dugout simply as an adversary.
It was Madrid president Florentino Perez who brought the Italian back for a second stint at the helm, after Zinedine Zidane walked away again in 2021.
Ancelotti’s Madrid picked off the Blues in the first game, carving out a 2-0 lead through Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, and they could have added further goals as they controlled proceedings.
At the other end former Chelsea duo Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger made important saves and blocks to leave Lampard’s side empty-handed.
Ancelotti’s return toChelsea evokes warm memoriesof one of the finest ever Premier League sides, which he led to the club’s first ever league and FA Cup double in 2010, halcyon days in stark contrast to the Blues’ recent slump.
The Italian’s Chelsea side featured big characters including Didier Drogba, John Terry, Michael Ballack and Lampard himself, and they racked up 7-0, 7-1 and 8-0 triumphs at the Bridge as they strolled to domestic glory.
Chelsea’s current hodgepodge of players lacks both the leadership and quality of that group, as was laid painfully bare in their defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu last week.
“I am sad, yes,” said Ancelotti before that clash. “I have a fantastic memory of this club, of the people that are still working there.
“I’m a supporter of Chelsea, of course, because I spent two really nice years there.
“I think and I hope Lampard will be able to do a fantastic job with them.”
It was a generous line from Ancelotti, but the Italian will hope his coach is nowhere near as magnanimous on Tuesday under the lights in London.
Ancelotti was let go by then-owner Roman Abramovich in 2011, ending his brief but memorable two-season spell in charge.
Safe hands
Madrid are aiming to win a record-extending 15th Champions League, defending the title after their triumph over Liverpool last season, and looked streets ahead of the 2021 victors in the Spanish capital.
Despite not being first choice — or second, or third — for the job, Ancelotti was chosen as a safe pair of hands and also helped Madrid lift La Liga last season too.
Like Zidane before him, is showing excellent man management is a vital skill for Los Blancos coaches — although not the only one, as he was at pains to point out.
“I am ‘fantastic’ at managing but there are other things, because this team is well-trained,” said Ancelotti before the first leg.
“If we win the Copa del Rey, we will have won every title possible in two years and there are teams who won’t win that in their whole lives.”
Ancelotti has kept squad players like Dani Ceballos, Nacho Fernandez and Asensio both hungry and helpful, with the latter netting again at Cadiz at the weekend. Most of them, anyway.
Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard has remained a fringe presence and his former fans will hope not to see him on Tuesday –- if the Belgian appears, it will mean Madrid have clinched progression and the key players are getting rested.
“The door is open and it’s up to us to kick it open further,” said Lampard after the first leg defeat, angling for a comeback.
It will be music to Ancelotti’s ears, with his team so lethal on the break against desperate sides and the coach wise enough to play to their strengths.
The 63-year-old has lifted the trophy six times, twice as a player, and four times in the dug-out, recently observing he is approaching his 1,300th game as a coach.
His experience and stability are in stark contrast to Chelsea’s haphazard project, and on Tuesday they may help him highlight chasms where he once left silverware and memories.
After Sergi Roberto suffered an injury during Sunday’s scoreless LaLiga tie between Barcelona and Getafe, Xavi lamented the condition of the Coliseum Alfonso Perez surface.
The struggling Blaugrana were kept in check at relegation-threatened Getafe after going three games without scoring.
Barcelona is still on track to win the championship, leading Real Madrid by 11 points with nine games remaining, but they were once again made to regret their lack of a competitive edge.
Sergi Roberto was replaced by Eric Garcia early on due to a hamstring injury and Xavi put that down to the playing surface.
The head coach said, according to Marca: “The state of the grass has affected us. Yesterday we trained with a dry field. I have been criticised a lot for the issue of the surface. Today the whole world has seen it.
“It is very difficult to play like this, it is bad for the show. The ball gets stuck, it’s bad even for Getafe. It’s essential that it be in good condition.”
Xavi added: “It’s no excuse and we have to recover our sensations.
“We take a point that makes it not bad at all because of how uncomfortable we have been.”
Regarding the injury, Xavi said: “Sergi noticed something in the hamstring. Let’s see tomorrow. Let it be for a short time, whether or not there is an injury.”
Dele Alli’s fall from grace has been very stunning, and as more information about his way of life comes to light, it becomes clearer why the former Tottenham player is having difficulty on the pitch.
The midfielder’s partying ways have been further exposed by a picture that has surfaced of him in bed with numerous buddies.
Alli can be seen in bed with four ladies and former Chelsea player and star Izzy Jay Brown in exclusive photos obtained by The Sun.
The outlet further reveals that Alli allegedly went on a partying spree, where he clubbed twice in 10 days in Turkey, where he was on loan at Besiktas
The suggestive picture was allegedly taken inside a flat in Salford, and it is believed Alli and his friends spent a massive £6,000 on that fateful night.
After a night of clubbing, Alli returned to the Salford flat with four women and three men. This was after a trip to Chinawhite in Manchester.
Once touted as one of the best midfielders in the world, Dele Alli’s fall from footballing grace is quite disheartening.
As recently as 2019, Alli was starring in the Champions League final, but an underwhelming spell at Tottenham under Jose Mourinho saw him sold to Everton.
He made just 13 appearances for Everton before getting shipped off to Besiktas for a loan spell. He also featured 13 times in Turkey before his loan deal came to an end.
Alli recently uploaded an image of himself in hospital, suggesting he was on the road to recovery after minor surgery.
“Surgery done, all successful. I focus on full recovery now after tough weeks. My season unfortunately comes to an end”. He said on social media.
“I’m gonna take a break from socials and hit my recovery hard. I’ll be back when I am ready”.
Sean Dyche, who was recently appointed to help save the club from the shackles of relegation, spoke on Alli’s situation after the 27-year-old returned to the club after an underwhelming loan spell in Turkey.
“He’s not here obviously. He has got an injury that will keep him out for some time.” Sean Dyche said.
“He’s 26, he knows certain things that he should or shouldn’t be doing. As a manager, you can’t control everything they do in their lives. You can only guide players with what’s good for them.
Eventually, players have their own choices to make. Of course, you want them to make good choices.”
Following the red card incident during the RC Lens match, Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi sent Salis Abdul Samed of Ghana his best wishes.
Len was defeated 3-1 by PSG on Saturday night in Ligue 1 and the Black Stars player suffered his first-ever dismissal after just 19 minutes.
After playing well early on, RC Lens experienced a setback when their trusty holding midfielder received a straight red card following a harsh challenge on Achraf Hakimi.
After the game, the Ghana international took to social media and apologized to Hakimi, saying he didn’t have any bad intentions of hurting the player.
“Very sad to have abandoned the team in this way. I apologize to those I disappointed and to @AchrafHakimi. I had no bad intentions and I really regret, I apologize to all Lensois ????????” he tweeted.
Responding to Salis apology, the Moroccan international wished him well for the rest of the season.
“These are things that happen in football. Good luck for the rest of the season!” he tweeted as sighted by Footballghana.com.
With only 10 players left on the field, RC Lens failed to match the attacking prowess of Parisians.
Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring with a well-placed shot, followed by Vitinha’s powerful strike for the second goal. Mbappe and Lionel Messi combined for the third goal, which was finished off brilliantly by the Argentine.
Lens managed to score a consolation goal in the second half, but the outcome could have been different had they played with 11 men, as they were the better side until Salis’ rightful dismissal.
Salis, who has been an impressive player for Lens, would be disappointed that his mistake let his team down, as a win would have put them only three points behind the reigning champions.
Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, has discussed the crucial role he played for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in forming the majority caucus of the 8th Ghanaian Parliament.
NPP presidential candidate Ken Agyapong stated that the party required independent MP Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who represents Fomena, to join their side in parliament in order to gain control of the House.
Speaking to delegates of the NPP in Tema, Ken Agyapong said that it took his intervention and his GH¢1 million for the condition given by Asiamah Amoako, who is now the 2nd deputy speaker of parliament, to be met, which made him join NPP in the House.
“If not for me, the NPP will not have majority in parliament after the 2020 elections. Because after the election, NDC had 137 parliamentarians, NPP also had 137 and there was one independent candidate.
“We wanted the independent candidate to join us and the condition he gave was that the NPP chairman for Adansi Fomena must resign before he joins us.
“I spoke to the Adansi Fomena NPP chairman and he told me that he will have resigned but a rural bank, he owes GH¢1.5 million will take him to court if he is no longer the chairman of the party in the constituency,” he said in Twi.
Ken Agyapong added that he paid GH¢1 million of the debt of the Adansi Fomena NPP Chairman, which led him to resign, for Asiamah Amoako to join NPP MPs to form the majority caucus.
Following the removal of the French manager at Al-Nassr on April 13, Cristiano Ronaldo left a heartfelt note to Rudi Garcia.
Garcia left the Saudi club after only eight months as the team’s head coach as a result of the team’s poor form, which was made worse by their expensive tie with Al-Feiha.
“Al Nassr can announce that head coach Rudi Garcia has left the club by mutual agreement,” the club said in a statement on their Twitter feed, as quoted by MEN.
“The board and everyone at Al Nassr would like to thank Rudi and his staff for their dedicated work during the past eight months.”
Aside from the club’s downward spiral in form, Spanish publication, Marca reports that a fight with his players in the dressing room also contributed to the 59-year-old’s dismissal from the job.
What was Ronaldo’s reaction?
Despite the reported friction betweenRonaldo and Rudi Garcia, the former took time out of his schedule to send a thoughtful message to his former boss.
“Pleasure to have worked with you. Wishing you all the best for the future,” Ronaldo posted on his Instagram story.
Meanwhile, Ronaldohas been criticised by supporters for apparently causing the dismissal of Garcia as Al-Nassr head coach.
The 59-year-old tactician was reportedly shown the door less than a year after taking up the role as coach of the Riyadh outfit.
It was also reported Ronaldo was being blamed by social media users for masterminding the exit of the Frenchman.
Rudi Garcia fumes at Ronaldo
Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Garcia hitting out at Ronaldo and his teammates after Al-Nassr dropped valuable points in a damaging draw with Al-Feiha last Sunday.
The French tactician did not hold back when expressing his disappointment with his charges, as they lost further ground to league leaders, Al-Ittihad on the standings.
With seven games to spare, Al-Nassr needs their rivals to stumble in subsequent games to stand any chance of claiming a first league crown since the 2018/19 season.
George Afriyie, president of Susubiribi Sporting Club, is reluctant to disclose any plans of a comeback in the contest for theGhana Football Association presidency.
In the 2019 elections, the previous FA vice president ran but was defeated by Mr. Kurt Okraku.
Numerous football administrators are anticipated to run for president since Mr. Okraku’s term ends in October of this year.
When asked if he would run for president of the GFA in the upcoming elections, Mr. Afriyie declined to say yes or no.
“As to whether I will contest or not, I cannot confirm but I know that our league is ongoing, the Black Queens are also preparing for their qualifiers and by June, the football season will end,” the former Black Stars Management Committee chairman told Kumasi based Sompa FM.
“By October 2023, Kurt Okraku must hand over power to himself or to somebody and that is what is in our status.
“Definitely, there would be timelines for elections but as we speak, there is none and as to whether I am preparing or not,time will tell,” he added.
Erik ten Hag used a Dutch expression to explain how he prevented Bruno Fernandes from receiving a pricey Europa League red card, telling Manchester United to “look in the mirror” and stop making costly mistakes.
Injuries to Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez marred Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla at Old Trafford, so the United manager placed his support behind Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who may both see action in the team.
He also said it was too soon to gauge the severity of those injuries, even though he has his private suspicions.
Ten Hag then brought a touch of levity to a routine pre-match press conference, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest, when he explained why he substituted playmaker Fernandes against Sevilla.
The Dutch boss suspected his Portuguese star was at risk of being sent off, having thrown the ball away after already being booked, and he guessed any further indiscipline would see the key man ordered off.
“I don’t want to take a risk. Where I come from, they call it ‘looking a cow in the ass’. We call it that in my region of the Netherlands,” Ten Hag said.
United were 2-0 up at the time of the substitution, with Christian Eriksen taking over from Fernandes.
Late own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Maguire scuppered hopes of victory in the first leg of the quarter-final, however, after Marcel Sabitzer’s early double had put United in control.
“We had back luck definitely with injuries and the goals,” Ten Hag said. “But you can avoid it, and we had to avoid it, so we also have to look in the mirror.”
Asked about the injuries, Ten Hag could not specify how long Martinez and Varane may face on the sidelines. Reports Martinez may have a broken metatarsal were brushed aside but not denied.
Ten Hag said: “I don’t have a complete diagnosis, so I can’t say in this moment. When we have news we will give it straight to you.
“But let’s do the medical, do their assessment and get a complete diagnosis, and then we will give the news. But I think it doesn’t change in this moment. I have an idea, but I don’t go with speculation.”
He wants Maguire and Lindelof to prove their value to the team, although Maguire must miss next week’s FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion due to suspension.
Ten Hag said he had “a lot” of faith in both defenders, who have faced criticism in the past, saying: “They are decent centre-halves. We have four or five very good centre-halves who can do the job.”
What Ten Hag would have no time for is anyone who might see it as a big demand to come into the first team from out in the cold.
“I think then you’re finding excuses and when you want to find excuses or set excuses then you don’t have to play at Man United and you have to look for another club,” Ten Hag said. “You have to wait for your moment and when your moment is there you have to contribute and to bring your performance, this is what we demand.”
French forward Anthony Martial will also be involved but is unlikely to play 90 minutes as United manage his fitness after a recent hip problem.
“Maybe he can, but it’s a risk,” said Ten Hag, “and we can’t take that risk at this moment because we don’t have so many options in the front line with [Marcus] Rashford and [Alejandro] Garnacho injured, so we have to be careful.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday that the FBI had detained a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the internet posting of classified documents.
The US authorities conducted a quick search for the identification of the leaker who uploaded secret papers to a social media site that is well-liked by video gamers before making the arrest of Jack Teixeira, 21.
Teixeira was arrested in Massachusetts without incident, Garland said, and will be arraigned in federal court there. “This investigation is ongoing. We will share more information at the appropriate time,” the attorney general said, declining to answer questions.
Teixeira will first appear in court on Friday in Boston, according to the US attorney’s office there.
The FBI said in a statement that it took Teixeira into custody “at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts, for his alleged involvement in leaking classified U.S. government and military documents.”
“The FBI is continuing to conduct authorizedlaw enforcement activity at the residence,” the agency said. “Since late last week the FBI has aggressively pursued investigative leads, and today’s arrest exemplifies our continued commitment to identifying, pursuing, and holding accountable those who betray our country’s trust and put our national security at risk.”
The leaked documents posted to social media, some of which have been obtained by CNN, included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine and the challenges Kyiv and Moscow face as the war appears stuck in a stalemate.
Multiple US officials told CNN that Teixeira is believed to be the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents had been posted.
The search for the suspect began with thousands of people who had access to the documents, but investigators were able to quickly narrow the search to potential members of the chat group with evidence collected in the days immediately following the discovery of classified documents online by US officials.
While there’s a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators were able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents.
Teixeira was under surveillance for at least a couple of days prior to his arrest by the FBI on Thursday, according to a US government source familiar with the case.
Earlier Thursday, President Joe Biden appeared to suggest that the US government was close to identifying the leaker. Biden was then briefed on the arrest in between his speech to parliament and his departure for a banquet dinner in his honor at Dublin Castle, according to a US official. He was at the hotel for roughly 90 minutes in between the two events.
Biden has been regularly briefed on the investigation, officials said, as well as the efforts by his top officials to engage with allies who have been identified within, or unsettled by, the content of the leaked information, according to one of the officials. Behind the scenes, it has been a reality that has loomed over a deeply personal and important foreign trip for Biden, one official acknowledged.
Jack Teixeira is taken into custody Thursday in Dighton, Massachusetts.WBZ
Joined Air National Guard in 2019
The Air Force released service details for Teixeira, an Airman 1st Class.
Teixeira is an enlisted airman at the Massachusetts Air National Guard, according to details from his service record released by the Air Force Thursday. He joined the service in September 2019 and his official job is Cyber Transport Systems journeyman. According to the Air Force, Cyber Transport Systems specialists are tasked with making sure the service’s “vast, global communications network” is “operating properly.”
On Wednesday, The Washington Post first reported that the person behind the leak worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances. The leaker was described in the Post story as a lonely young man and gun enthusiast who was part of a chatroom of about two dozen people on Discord – a social media platform popular with video gamers – that shared a love of guns and military gear, according to a friend of the alleged leaker the Post interviewed who was also part of the group.
Several former high school classmates of Teixeira’s told CNN Thursday that he had a fascination with the military, guns and war. He would sometimes wear camouflage to school, carried a “dictionary-sized book on guns,” and behaved in a way that made some fellow students feel uneasy.
“A lot of people were wary of him,” said Brooke Cleathero, who attended middle school and high school with Teixeira. “He was more of a loner, and having a fascination with war and guns made him off-putting to a lot of people.”
John Powell, who also attended middle school and high school with Teixeira, said he recalled him as a pleasant and quiet kid who was sometimes picked on. “He didn’t have many friends,” he said.
A photo of Jack Teixeira taken from Instagram.From Instagram
Teixeira grew up in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, according to public records. He attended Dighton-Rehoboth High School where he graduated in 2020, according to the superintendent of the regional school district.
Powell recalled Teixeira occasionally toting around a textbook on military vehicles – tanks, planes and submarines – and having a fascination with anything “military related” from an early age.
“He was dead set on joining some branch of the military, even as a kid,” he said.
Other students, who asked not to be identified, said they detected a more menacing vibe from Teixeira, who some recalled making comments they perceived as racist or mumbling derogatory things about people under his breath.
One student recalled him showing up for school wearing a shirt with an AR-15 on it the day after a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
Teixeira didn’t behave in a manner that rose to the level where “people felt the need to report him,” another former classmate said, but “he made me nervous.”
The same student said she took his fascination with the military as a form of American nationalism, and was therefore surprised by the allegations against him. “I didn’t think he would be capable of doing something like this,” she said.
On Thursday, Biden said he was concerned about the fact the leaks happened, but not necessarily about their content.
“I’m not concerned about the leak. I’m concerned that it happened, but there’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of any consequence.”
Pentagon tightening access to classified intelligence
The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following the leak.
Some US officials who used to receive the briefing materials daily have stopped receiving them in recent days, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, as the Pentagon’s Joint Staff continues to whittle down its distribution lists.
The Joint Staff, which comprises theDefense Department’s most senior uniformed leadership that advises the president, began examining its distribution lists immediately after learning of the trove of leaked classified documents – many of which had markings indicating that they had been produced by the Joint Staff’s intelligence arm, known as the J2.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that he is directing the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security to review intelligence access, following the arrest of the Air National Guardsman.
“As Secretary of Defense, I will also not hesitate to take any additional measures necessary to safeguard our nation’s secrets,” Austin said. “Accordingly, I am directing the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security to conduct a review of our intelligence access, accountability and control procedures within the Department to inform our efforts to prevent this kind of incident from happening again.”
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder confirmed Thursday that the Defense Department is taking steps to tighten the community of people who receive classified intelligence.
Ryder said the Pentagon continues “to review a variety of factors as it relates to safeguarding classified materials. This includes examining and updating distribution lists, assessing how and where intelligence products are shared, and a variety of other steps.”
Ryder also emphasized that there are already “stringent guidelines” in place to safeguard classified intelligence.
“This was a deliberate criminal act,” he said, “a violation of those guidelines.”
The criminal investigation is being led by the FBI’s Washington field office, including a team of counterintelligence investigators experienced in hunting leaks.
Those investigators are also working with Pentagon officials on the damage assessment, which would become part of the evidence to be used in any potential prosecution that results.
When asked how Discord has cooperated with theFBI investigation, a spokesperson told CNN that they “have cooperated with officials and remain committed to doing so.”
In order to catch title challengers Arsenal,Pep Guardiola has cautioned his Manchester City players that they cannot afford to lose against Leicester.
City joined the six points train of Premier League leaders Arsenal last week after the Gunners’ 2-2 draw at Liverpool but they face a potential banana skin on Saturday against struggling Leicester in Dean Smith’s first match since succeeding Brendan Rodgers.
Guardiola said they have to treat every match from now until the end of the season as a do-or-die fixture.
“The only impact I believe is the fact that everyone knows that if we lose it is over. It is the best way to compete. This is when you have the best,” Guardiola told a news conference. “I have doubts that experience. I need more years like [Roy] Hodgson.
The reality is we are six points behind no guarantee we will win the games ahead. There is no team better than Brighton in modern football. Arsenal is no guarantee. We need to win our games, that is the reality. At the end of the games we will see the reality.”
City will win the league if they win their remaining nine matches and Guardiola stressed they have little margin for error as Arsenal have just the league to focus on, while his side are gunning for a treble of the title, FA Cup and Champions League.
“Everyone knows if we lose those games we will not win the title that is why our intentions and details are higher.
It is the same tomorrow, if we lose the game we will not be champions,” Guardiola added. “If we win we could still be there because we cannot forget we are six points behind Arsenal a team that has dropped few points throughout the season and play one game a week with a lot of time to recover, analyse.
It will be difficult to win and drop points, that is why we have to be there as much as possible.”
City play against Leicester on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium before travelling to Germany for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich.
Christophe Galtier,the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, has filed a lawsuit after being accused of making racist remarks against players while serving as the manager of Nice.
The accusations were made in an email purportedly written by former Nice football director Julien Fournier at the end of the previous campaign, which Galtier vehemently denies.
The Athletic claims that Dave Brailsford, director of sports for INEOS, the organization that owns Nice, was the email’s intended recipient.
The contents of the email were first reported on Tuesday, with Galtier alleged to have told Fournier – in Fournier’s words – that the club “could not have so many blacks and Muslims in the team”.
Fournier and Galtier both left Nice after the end of last season. The latter’s lawyer, Olivier Martin, has said the 56-year-old PSG coach “contests with the greatest firmness” the accusations made against him.
French media reported on Friday that police in Nice had launched an investigation.
Ahead of PSG’s crucial Ligue 1 meeting with second-placed Lens, Galtier confirmed he was taking legal action.
In a prepared statement, Galtier told reporters: “I cannot accept my name and my family’s name being tarnished in this way. I have therefore decided to take legal action against anyone damaging my reputation.
“I have confidence in the legal system in France. I have just found out that legal proceedings are beginning and I will not be making any further comments on this matter.
“PSG have a very important match tomorrow. All my energy and focus is on that game.”
Galtier said he was “very shocked by the allegations that some people have irresponsibly made”.
He has reportedly received threats this week since the email came to light, with PSG ensuring he has beenallocated added protection.
Galtier added: “These allegations hurt me in the deepest part of my being. I grew up in the inner city and was brought up in a mixing pot, with the overwriting values of sharing and respect for others, regardless of their origin, skin colour or religion.
“My whole life as a man, footballer and coach has been underpinned by constantly looking out for, sharing life with and living happily alongside others.”
Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane apparently engaged in an altercation in which the former Liverpool player punched his Bayern Munich teammate, and Thomas Tuchel was eager to put an end to it.
The two were seen bickering on the field during Bayern’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.
There were rumours that they had become physical after the game.
Bayern announced on Thursday that Mane had been fined and suspended from Saturday’s Bundesliga game at home to Hoffenheim.
“Yes just the one match, and the fine. These are the consequences of his behaviour,” Bayern head coach Tuchel confirmed at a press conference on Friday.
He added: “I didn’t see it myself because I was in the coaching room. Of course, I immediately spoke to everyone involved, the players and the staff.
“It was important that we clarified the matter before we started the next training session. We did that yesterday.
We have cleared up everything so that we can train positively with each other again.
“The way both players involved dealt with it, and the way the other players dealt with it, it had a cleansing effect. We had a positive atmosphere yesterday and today.”
Tuchel insisted the matter is now closed, and supported Mane, expressing his belief that it was out of character for someone he considers an “absolute professional.”
“I’m the first one to defend him. I’ve known him for a very long time and only know him as an absolute professional… He has never been guilty of anything [like this before].
“It was against the club’s code of conduct, and he recognised it and apologised.”
Mane has struggled on the pitch as well as off it since his move from Liverpool last year, with many calling into question whether he can reproduce the form he showed in his time at Anfield.
“Maybe he needs not to think too much,” Tuchel suggested. “He hesitates and takes long to react. That’s why it seems he can be half a step too late. We want to get him to where he was [at Liverpool] through trust and appreciation. He was an absolute top striker in the best league in the world.”
Bayern have been linked with a big-money move for a striker at the end of the season, with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen chief among the names being touted.
Tuchel was asked about the Nigerian, but kept his cards close to his chest, replying: “I have an opinion on that, but I know how things work.
FIFA has given more support in our mission to improve every area of the game and guarantee that members are properly supported.
The Ghana Football Association’s application for the FIFA Football for Schools Program was approved, and it will now be implemented in compliance with the appropriate FIFA regulations.
“After a thorough review of the documentation provided, the FIFA Football for Schools administration has decided to approve your application to start implementing the programme in Ghana” said Madam Fatimata Sidibe, Director, FIFA Football for Schools.
The FIFA Football for Schools administration will work with the Ghana Football Association to coordinate the release of the Football for Schools mobile app in Ghana, as well as to provide appropriate training and capacity-building support for users (selected public schools in Ghana).
The Ghana Football Association is working with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education on this programme to benefit students between the ages of 10 – 14 years.
The Association will also ensure that there is gender parity as all schools selected are mixed schools.
This programme will further support GFA’s project to introduce football to young girls as early as possible toincrease the participation of girls in football.
The programme will provide training to Physical education teachers as well as provide footballs to almost 3,000 schools across every region of the country.
“The GFA is extremely happy that its application has received approval from FIFA.
This programme will benefit the Schools and Colleges as a member of the Association and a lot of PE Teachers and students between ages 10 to 14.
The GFA will continue to work assiduously with its partners, FIFA, the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to ensure the success of this excellent programme” said Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, President of the GFA.
Former captain of Asante Kotoko, Yussif Chibsah, has requested an apology from Nana Oduro Sarfo, a member of the Ghana Football Association‘s Executive Council, for denigrating Stephen Appiah, a former captain of the Black Stars.
In response to Stephen Appiah’s statement that past players are frequently overlooked by the GFA, Nana Oduro Sarfo urged the former Black Stars captain to get formal education before pursuing a position of prominence in Ghanaian football.
Yussif Chibsah responded to this statement by asking Oduro Sarfo to apologise to the renowned Stephen Appiah, feeling that he had disrespected the man.
“I don’t know the qualifications of Nana Oduro Sarfo even though I know he started this football business a long time ago.”
“But he needs to come out and tell his qualifications since he is making his arguments on someone going to educate himself in football administration.”
“Oduro Sarfo needs to apologize to Stephen Appiah because some of his colleagues including my own Alhaji Grusah, have no academic qualifications but they serve on the GFA Executive Council,” Chibsah said on Angel TV.
Stephen Appiah led Ghana to two FIFA World Cup tournaments in 2006 and 2010 as the captain of the Black Stars.
Wojciech Szczesny, the Juventus goalkeeper described himself as “scared” after exiting the first leg of his team’s Europa League quarterfinal match against Sporting due to chest trouble.
Prior to the end of the first half, the Polish international left the pitch in tears. Mattia Perin was then brought in to finish the game at Allianz Stadium, which ended in a 1-0 victory.
Szczesny was checked by the medical team and given the all clear shortly after the resumption of the second half, though he admitted he was concerned by the sequence of events.
He told Sky Sport Italia:”I am fine, I was a little anxious, but we did all the tests and everything is fine.
“I was scared, it had never happened to me before, I was struggling to breathe and it really worried me.”
Perin’s heroics in added time with a double save to deny Pote and Hector Bellerin secured victory for Juventus, with Szczesny returning to form by joking about the situation and praisinghis team-mate.
He added: “The truth is, I saw Mattia in great shape in training, I felt tired and knew he would have a great double save at the 94th [minute].
“Nah, they fired it straight at him! I congratulated him, he is also a guy with a heart of gold, we get along well. It’s a shame Carlo [Pinsoglio] didn’t come on, he would’ve had a hat-trick of great saves today.”
Speaking shortly after, Perin hailed the team’s display and made it clear there was still plenty of work to be done.
He said: “I think the team as a whole has been exceptional not to fall into a victim mentality or false alibis, instead we used that negative energy and made it positive, proving we are real men.
“It is only half-time in the quarter-final, there are another 90 minutes to go and we can be happy with this victory, but it’s only half-done.”
Goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi of theBlack Stars was listed among the best saves at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In the second group games against South Korea, the St. Gallen goalkeeper’s stop from a free kick made the cut.
Ati-Zigi gave a great performance in the contest, making four crucial saves to lead Ghana to a slim 3-2 victory.
His save from the free-kick came in the 75th minute when the Black Stars were leading 3-2. Ati-Zigi superbly tipped Kang-In Lee’s goal-bound freekick around the post to keep Ghana in the lead.
Ghana eventually grabbed the win but failed to progress from the group after losing to Portugal and Uruguay to finish bottom of Group H.
Lawrence Ati-Zigi played all three games and conceded a total of seven goals at the tournament.
An English pundit has suggested Chelsea should stick with Frank Lampard if they choose former Bayern Munich manager, Julian Nagelsmann as their manager.
Graham Potter was fired and his assistant, Bruno Saltor, who oversaw the 0-0 draw against Liverpool, declined the appointment.
He was replaced as interim manager until the end of the season by the Blues veteran and former coach.
With the hasty firing of Thomas Tuchel after only a few games of the new season, Todd Boehly and company are attempting to avoid making the same mistake with Potter.
The club invited former Barcelona boss, Luis Enrique to London last week for an interview and this week have invited Nagelsmann to do the same, according to German newspaper, Bild.
Keys advises Chelsea against Nagelsmann
Lampard has lost his first two games in charge, a 1-0 loss to Wolves in the Premier League and a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League, leading to calls from fans to hasten the appointment of a new manager.
Sportskeeda reported that the former RB Leipzig boss is the favourite and has the backing of technical director, Christopher Vivell and co-sporting director, Paul Winstanley.
However, English TV anchor, Richard Keys is critical of the possible appointment of 35-year-old Nagelsmann, claiming Lampard should be retained ahead of bringing the German on-boardif the German tactician is the club’s choice in the future.
Fans want Lampard sacked
Potter was not a popular figure among Chelsea fans but despite being a club legend, Lampard is also gradually losing his popularity among the Blues faithful.
As Sports Brief reported, fans called for Lampard’s sack after losing his first game 1-0 to Wolves thanks to a brilliant volley from Matheus Nunes past Kepathat beat Kepa Arrizabalaga.
With rumours that they have given up on signing Jude Bellingham, Jürgen Klopp acknowledges Liverpool may need to “step aside and do different stuff” in the transfer market.
In his remarks prior to Monday’s Premier League trip to Leeds United, the Reds boss only fleetingly addressed the claim that Liverpool are no longer in the running to sign Bellingham, an English player for Borussia Dortmund.
Reports earlier in the week suggested the club have decided the 19-year-old midfielder would take up too much of their budget in a transfer window in which they will need to sign more than one player.
“It’s nothing to say about, to be honest,” Klopp told a press conference.
“If we don’t speak about players we sign, or not sign, why would we now speak about this kind of speculation and this kind of news? So it’s really nothing to say about.”
He did, however, speak in broader terms about the prospect of chasing top players, and how sometimes clubs, even those of Liverpool’s stature, cannot expect to land all their targets.
Bellingham has been a target of Europe’s elite clubs after shining for club and country, and Liverpool had been seen as front-runners for his signature for what would almost certainly be a nine-figure fee.
However, the Reds look likely to miss out on next season’s Champions League after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, and they may be readjusting their targets.
“It’s not about Jude Bellingham, my answer now, definitely not,” Klopp said. “I never understood why we constantly talk about things we theoretically cannot have.
“We cannot have six players in the summer where everyone’s £100million, for example. Everybody would say that’s kind of clear.
“You have to realise what you can do, and then you have to work with that. So how much money do we have available? And then you have to work with that.
“We are not children. If you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they tell you, ‘I want to have a Ferrari’, you wouldn’t say ‘that’s a good idea’, you would say ‘that’s too expensive and anyway, you cannot drive it.’
“That’s how it is. If this kid is then his whole life unhappy because he cannot get a Ferrari that would be a sad life, but it’s just what can you do, and then you do it and you work with that.
“Whatever I want, what we need and what we want, we try absolutely everything to get it.
“But there are moments where you have to accept this or that is not possible for us and just step aside and do different stuff.”
Klopp also touched on Sunday’s half-time flashpoint in Liverpool’s game against Arsenal where assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis appeared to aim an elbow at Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.
Klopp said: “I think it’s been dealt with really well.
“I wasn’t aware of it during the game. I spoke to Robbo and all the other guys, not to the assistant, but I think it’s now been dealt with really well, and now we can carry on.”
This week, a significant setback to Marc Cucurella’s difficult Chelsea career occurred.
For his part in a play that led to Ben Chilwell’s dismissal against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, the 24-year-old Spaniard received harsh criticism.
Having suffered a 2-0 defeat in the away leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, the Blues’ catastrophic campaign now appears destined to conclude without a trophy and, most likely, without making it to the European stage.
Ahead of a visit from Cucurella’s former club Brighton on Saturday, we examine the defender’s uncertain future in West London.
Madrid error
When Frank Lampard became caretaker manager of Chelsea, he selected Cucurella as the left-back in a 4-3-3 formation for his first game against Wolves.
Having lost that match 1-0,Lampard switched to 3-5-2 for the difficult away trip to Real Madrid and left the ex-Seagulls star on the bench.
But in the second half, with the Blues 1-0 down, Cucurella was brought on to replace Kalidou Koulibaly on the left side of the back three.
Within four minutes of his introduction, the versatile defender lost the run of home forward Rodrygo, resulting in the panicked Chilwell bringing the Brazilian down.
Chilwell was given his marching orders and soon after, Lampard’s men conceded a second goal.
A turnaround at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday seems unlikely given their poor form.
Cucurella’s brief time at Chelsea has been a massive disappointment.
The trouble started when the club elected to pay a huge transfer fee of £62million for him last summer.
Brighton had signed theBarcelona academy graduate for a mere £15m from Getafe just a season before. He had looked set for a move to Manchester City, only for the West Londoners to gazump their rivals with their bid.
Straight away, that put pressure on the Catalan to deliver — and his task has been made all the more difficult by a turbulent period on the touchline.
When Cucurella signed, Thomas Tuchel was manager. His former Brighton boss Graham Potter then replaced the German, before Bruno Saltor became interim coach until Lampard stepped in last week.
The four different bosses have used a variety of formations and styles. Defensively, the team have switched from a back four to a three on multiple occasions in an attempt to find some solidity.
Cucurella has sometimes found himself tasked with playing as a left-back in a four, which is a role that arguably does not suit his skill set.
Second chance
Marc Cucurella has played under four different managers at Chelsea this season
Out of Chelsea’s raft of new signings, he is far from being alone in failing to settle — but he has certainly lacked the continuity offered to some of his colleagues.
There is sure to be a massive clear out of from a bloated squad over the summer. Who departs will in large part be decided by the club’s choice of manager.
Cucurella’s chances of staying and getting a fresh start will be helped by the fact that his contract runs through to 2028, with Stamford Bridge chiefs facing a massive loss if they were to try to sell him right now.
The one-cap international will hope that whoever is appointed as the new manager will have a settled idea of how they want Chelsea to play, giving him chance to revive his Premier League career.
The former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Coast and minister of education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, will deliver a speech at Harvard Law School.
“Reimagining Africa’s Development on Our Terms” is the focus of the programme, which is organised by the African Caucus of the Kennedy School of Law and the Harvard African Law Association.
The running mate of NDC Presidential candidate in 2020 elections will speak on the topic: ” Rising to Africa’s Education Challenges and Opportunities post the COVID-19 pandemic”
Achraf Hakimi, a Moroccan defender, has been trending on social media due to concerns involving his divorce from Hiba Aboukhris Benslimane, better known as Hiba Abouk in the entertainment sector.
Since the Paris Saint-Germain player was accused of rape by a 24-year-old woman in France, the divorce case of the PSG defender and his wife has been in the public eye.
In March 2023, Hiba Abouk reportedly requested half of Achraf Hakimi’s assets in a divorce petition.
However, according to unconfirmed reports on social media, Hiba Abouk was informed by the Court that her millionaire husband owns nothing because all his properties have been registered in his mother’s name.
This means that Hakimi has no money, property, cars, houses, or jewelry, and even the utensils he has in his house are not in his name.
Social media users have heavily praised the former Real Madrid defender because they believe that if not for his smartness, he would have lost half of his properties.
Many also said that Achraf Hakimi’s unorthodox style will become the blueprint for men who seek to evade such situations during divorce proceedings.
In the play-in round, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors 109-105 to secure the victory, but their MVP didn’t play a single minute.
The loud screaming of DeMar DeRozan’s kid may have contributed to the Raptors making only half of their free throw attempts.
The Bulls had to come back from 19 points down, with Zach LaVine scoring 39 points, including 30 in the second half.
The six-time NBA champions will face the Miami Heat in another win-or-go-home game on Friday night, April 14th, per ESPN.
DeRozan broke the Raptors fans’ hearts with 23 points, sending them home in the process. Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Diar DeRozan steals the show
The Bulls expected DeRozan to eliminate his former team from playoff contention. He did. Not by himself, though. He had his 9-year-old daughter Diar backing him up.
Every time the Raptors went to the line, her ear-splitting screams echoed throughout Scotiabank Arena.
The 2019NBA champions shot 78.4% from the line during the regular season but missed a season-high 18 of its 36 free throw attempts in their defeat to the Bulls, per CBS Sports.
O.G. Anunoby (84), Pascal Siakam (77%), and Fred VanVleet (90%) were all decent from the line in the regular season but missed a combined 14 free throws against the Bulls, per the Athletic.
Diar’s scream may have affected Siakam during the game. He had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining on the clock. He missed two of three.
DeRozan said he was surprised to know it was his daughter screaming.
“I kept hearing something during the game during free throws,” Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan said after the game. “I looked back like … dang, that’s my daughter screaming,” via ESPN.
He said she won’t attend the Miami game.
“No,” DeRozan said. “She’s got to go back to school.”
DeRozan on Toronto
It was reported earlier reported onDeRozan describing how the city of Toronto meant to him before they played the Raptors.
He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Raptors, who watched him blossom into a 4-time All-Star.
He made the Raptors a top team in the Eastern Conference.
Erik ten Hag was left bemoaning injury issues as Manchester United lost heartbreakingly late against Sevilla in the Europa League, and Marcel Sabitzer criticised the team for giving up “two stupid goals.”
Because to Ten Hag’s hosts’ dominance at Old Trafford, United appeared to be in perfect control of the quarterfinal first leg on Thursday after Sabitzer’s first-half double.
Prior to Harry Maguire’s own goal in the 92nd minute, Tyrell Malacia’s own goal gave Sevilla optimism six minutes from time.
Ten Hag insisted United’s 2-2 draw was down to bad fortune, as opposed to his substitutes collapsing under late pressure.
The United manager told BT Sport: “I think we had the game in hand, we were 2-0 up and should have scored three or four. The game was totally on us.
“Some unlucky moments with injuries. Raphael Varane at half-time, Anthony Martial because it was his first start, Antony and Bruno Fernandes because they were on a yellow card.
“Then we lose control at an unlucky moment, then another unlucky moment with Lisandro [Martinez] going off injured when we go down to 10.
“We conceded two own goals, that is bad luck. We have to learn, we have to kill the game, but everything is open for the next game.
“I know we can do better with those players in the last part of the game, we had to be more composed and could benefit from our counter-attacking opportunities, but we didn’t.
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