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Tag: World Cup Qatar

  • Blues need Gvard to replace their ageing rearguard

    Blues need Gvard to replace their ageing rearguard

    Chelsea are prepared to put its interest in Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar on hold in order to concentrate on signing Josko Gvardiol to the team in the summer.

    The Premier League team has been linked with the Brazilian in recent months, but Sky Sports Germany reports that no talks have taken place and that a deal is currently unlikely.

    Instead, Graham Potter has focused on Gvardiol, who was a member of the RB Leipzig team that conceded seven goals to Manchester City this past week in the Champions League.

    The 21-year-old made an impression for Croatia during the World Cup in Qatar, and Thomas Tuchel reportedly tried to sign him to Stamford Bridge last summer but the German club reportedly blocked the move.

    Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the West Londoners are well in the hunt when it comes to signing the defensive powerhouse but will face a battle with other top clubs including Manchester City and Liverpool.

    Croatia’s 19-cap international is contracted to Leipzig until 2027, meaning there is a possibility of a bidding war that could exceed the £80million offer reportedly tabled by Chelsea last summer.

    With Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly both over 30, Potter is keen to invest in a long-term solution for his backline.

  • Collina demands more precise stoppage times after Liverpool defeated Man Utd 7-0

    Collina demands more precise stoppage times after Liverpool defeated Man Utd 7-0

    Regardless of the situation, Pierluigi Collina has urged referees to add the appropriate amount of stoppage time at the conclusion of games.

    The match between Liverpool and Manchester United on Sunday at Anfield was discussed by FIFA’s head of refereeing. Only three minutes were added to the game’s final score, which resulted in a 7-0 victory for the hosts despite the fact that six goals were scored in a second half that also featured 10 substitutions and a VAR delay.

    Although games at the World Cup in Qatar were extended by additional time that was meant to reflect actual time lost during the 90 minutes, this trend has largely not continued in club football.

    “Last weekend in the Premier League, there were 10 matches,” Collina told reporters. “Four had additional time of 10 minutes or more [across the first half and second half], and two should have been higher but weren’t only because they had scores of 7-0 and 4-0.

    “In the game at Liverpool, there was four minutes added, one in the first half and three in the second. But there were six goals in the second half.

    “Maybe at some point in the future we will have a rule which says: if the difference between the two sides is big, the additional time is not to be given. But this would be in the laws of the game.

    “Now it is common sense, but it is [only] common sense when it doesn’t affect someone.

    “I can understand that showing the right amount of time when it is 7-0 is difficult to understand. But in some competitions, the goal difference in the entire competition may be decisive at the end for the ranking.

    “So, even one goal scored or not scored could make the difference.”

    Former referee Collina believes adding on as much time as necessary would eventually stamp out time-wasting, much like the introduction of VAR appeared to reduce the amount of simulation in the game. 

    “It’s time to compensate time that was not played during the match,” he said. “We are not considering to go from 70 to 75. No, we want to avoid just playing 43 minutes.

    “The effective time at Aston Villa vs Brentford [earlier this season] was 43 minutes. I don’t think someone wants to pay to watch a match that lasts 43 minutes.

    “We have seen implementing VAR has reduced simulation. How many cards are now given for simulation? Very little because the players know it is meaningless to try.

    “I am convinced time-wasting will be reduced when players know it is meaningless to waste time because that time is compensated.”

  • Police searched the offices of the European Parliament

    In an investigation into alleged bribes from the World Cup host Qatar, Belgian investigators searched offices at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday.

    Since Friday, there have been 20 searches conducted in Belgium, and parliament president Roberta Metsola warned MEPs that “democracy is under attack.”

    Four people have been taken into custody by Belgian police, including Greek MEP and vice-president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili.

    Any wrongdoing has been refuted by Qatar. On Tuesday, MEPs will discuss the scandal.

    Since Friday, the IT resources of 10 parliamentary employees have been “frozen” to prevent the disappearance of data necessary for the investigation.

    The four suspects arrested by Belgian police have been charged with “participation in a criminal organisation, money laundering and corruption”, prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday.

    Ms Kaili – an MEP for eight years – was suspended from her duties as one of 14 vice-presidents by parliament president Metsola.

    She has also been suspended from the parliament’s Socialists and Democrats Group and expelled from the Greek centre-left Pasok party.

    Eva Kaili addresses the European Parliament
    IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS Image caption, Eva Kaili was arrested on Saturday and has reportedly had her assets frozen

    Prosecutors in Greece have reportedly frozen all of Ms Kaili’s assets.

    Six people were detained on Friday as part of the investigation into allegations that Qatar bribed EU officials to win influence. Two were later released.

    No suspects have been publicly named, but Ms Kaili is understood to be among those who have been indicted.

    The three other accused are all Italian citizens and her partner Francesco Giorgi, who is a parliamentary assistant, is among those reportedly charged.

    The BBC’s Brussels correspondent, Jessica Parker, says details released by Belgian authorities in the last few days left many people’s jaws on the floor in EU circles.

    MEPs who spoke to our correspondent say they are shocked by both the scale and blatancy of the accusations.

    ‘European democracy under attack’

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the accusations were “very serious” and called for the creation of a new ethics body to oversee the bloc.

    Ms Metsola vowed to MEPs that the parliament’s integrity would be restored.

    “European democracy is under attack and our free and democratic societies are under attack,” she said.

    Watchdogs and MEPs said the bribery investigation could represent one of the biggest corruption scandals in the parliament’s history.

    Prosecutors said they suspected a Gulf state had been influencing economic and political decisions of the parliament for several months, especially by targeting aides.

    Local media has named the state as Qatar, although the Qatari government said any claims of misconduct were “gravely misinformed”.

    Ms Kaili’s responsibilities as vice-president include the Middle East. She has been a defender of Qatar in the past.

    The European Parliament is the EU’s only directly elected institution. Some 705 members of parliament, elected by voters in the 27 nations which make up the EU, meet to scrutinise proposed legislation and vote through European law.

    MEPs generally enjoy immunity from prosecution, but not in cases where “a member is found in the act of committing an offence”, the parliament says.

     

    Source: BBC.com