In 2015, Senegalese Edouard Mendy was in Le Havre, northern France, desperate to find a professional club. Six years later, he could be the first African goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final.

He is poised to follow in the footsteps of the heroic Zimbabwean goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, two times finalist in the European Champions Cup with Liverpool FC in the 80s’.

The Senegalese international goalkeeper, who has kept 24 clean sheets this season, becomes a master of his future when he will appear in Porto on Saturday for his first Champions League final against Manchester City.

It will be the crowning achievement of a journey entangled with difficulties for the 29-year-old goalkeeper, who had a promising start.

Born near Le Havre, he became a goalkeeper at the age of 10 years in his neighborhood and was quickly spotted by HAC Academy.

“He had a certain talent, explosiveness, a character that allowed him to have a certain presence in the goal but also in attitude even as a discreet boy,” Michel Courel, his former coach at the HAC Academy said. “He was very diligent and very serious and was a very motivated kid”, he added.

Mendy has been a key player in Chelsea’s squad this season, with 16 clean sheets in 31 EPL games.

The Senegalese goalkeeper has also shined in Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League run, making sure no shot went past him in 8 out of 11 European games.

He hadn’t even been the first-choice goalkeeper there – he spent much of his time on the bench – and he struggled to find another club, repeatedly let down by an agent who was unable to find Mendy a new team in France or in the third tier of England, as promised.

The phone call that changed everything came in 2015 when he was offered a trial at Marseille to become the southern team’s fourth-choice goalkeeper. His pregnant girlfriend stayed in Le Havre.

“When I went down there, it was a case of just giving my absolute everything to get the opportunity to join that club,” Mendy said.

Although he wasn’t the first choice at Marseille, his career was back up and running. He moved to Reims in France’s second division in 2016 and then to Rennes in 2019.

After one season, he had done enough to convince Chelsea’s technical director, Petr Cech – a former player for Rennes and then Chelsea – to bring him to England.

“Now it is up to me to repay their interest in me.”

He has made a good start. Tall and good with the ball at his feet, Mendy already looks a massive upgrade on the erratic Kepa. Crucially, Chelsea’s defenders appear more at ease with Mendy behind them.

Mendy will look to make it three shutouts in three games when Chelsea visits Manchester United on Saturday for the standout match of the Premier League’s sixth round.

Source: Africa News

Zinedine Zidane resigned as Real Madrid manager with immediate effect, the Spanish club said Thursday, just days after the club were beaten to the La Liga title by Atletico Madrid.

The Frenchman’s departure came at the end of a disappointing campaign for the 13-time European champions, who also lost to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals as they failed to win a trophy for the first time in 11 seasons.

“Real Madrid announces that Zinedine Zidane has decided to bring an end to his current spell as coach of our club,” said a Real Madrid statement.

“Now’s the time to respect his decision and show our respect and gratitude for his professionalism, dedication and passion in the last few years and for what he represents for Real Madrid.

“Zidane is one of Real Madrid’s all-time greats and his legend goes beyond what he has done as a coach and player for our club. He knows that he is always in the heart of the club’s supporters and that Real Madrid will always be his home.”

Zidane had a contract through June 2022.

He left the club for the first time after leading Madrid to one of its most successful runs from 2016-2018, with three consecutive Champions League titles. In his two years and five months in charge, Madrid won a total of nine trophies, including two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, one Spanish league and one Spanish Super Cup.

He only won the league title once and a Spanish Super Cup in his second stint.

ZIdane quit the first time less than a week after leading the team to its third straight Champions League title, saying it was time for a change and that he didn’t see it clearly that the club would keep winning with him in charge.

He had been dismissing talks about his future recently, saying that he would discuss it with the club. He said he believed that Madrid could do well without him as coach.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)

Marcus Rashford says he was racially abused on social media following Manchester United’s defeat in the Europa League final.

The 23-year-old, who has previously been a victim of online attacks, said he had received “at least 70 racial slurs” following United’s penalty shootout loss to Villarreal in Gdansk on Wednesday.

United, who lost 11-10 on penalties, later tweeted to say their players had been subjected to “disgraceful racist abuse”.

“At least 70 racial slurs on my social accounts counted so far,” Rashford wrote on Twitter. “For those working to make me feel any worse than I already do, good luck trying.

“I’m more outraged that one of the abusers that left a mountain of monkey emojis in my DM is a maths teacher with an open profile. He teaches children!! And knows that he can freely racially abuse without consequence…”

Last month English football, along with other sporting bodies, united for a four-day social media boycott to urge the companies to take a stronger stance over racial abuse.

Speaking before the latest incidents of abuse, England boss Gareth Southgate praised the job players had done in highlighting the issue.

“I do think there has been progress over the last year on the issue of racism because social media is just in general a poor reflection of what happens through society,” he told the BBC.

“But the reality is if it wasn’t social media these situations are happening on our streets at certain times.

“(The players) have used their voice in a very positive manner, in particularly the last 12 months. We have to keep fighting racism.”

Source: AFP

Sergio Aguero is close to agreeing a move to Barcelona that would unite him with fellow Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

City’s record goalscorer, who has spent a decade at the Etihad, scored a quickfire double in the champions’ 5-0 win over Everton in his final Premier League appearance for the club on Sunday.

The goals took his Premier League tally to 184 — the most by any player for a single club.

The 32-year-old forward is set to leave the Etihad as a free agent after Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea.

“Maybe I reveal a secret,” Guardiola told the BBC. “Maybe he is close to agreeing a deal for the club of my heart — for Barcelona.

“He is going to be playing alongside the best player of all time, Messi.”

If the move goes ahead it would be Aguero’s second spell in Spain — he made his name at Atletico Madrid before the move to Manchester in 2011.

Aguero’s final season at City was dogged by injury and a coronavirus infection but Guardiola believes the striker has a lot to offer the Catalan giants.

Barcelona had a disappointing season, finishing third in La Liga and falling in the last 16 of the Champions League.

“I’m pretty sure he is going to enjoy,” said Guardiola. “And maybe Barcelona are stronger and stronger with him on the pitch.”

Source: AFP

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski said it felt like being in a “science fiction film” as he scored his 41st Bundesliga goal of the season on Saturday to break Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old German league record for a single campaign.

Lewandowski scored in the 90th minute of Bayern’s 5-2 home win over Augsburg having equalled Mueller’s record of 40, which was set in 1971/72, last weekend.

Lewandowski broke Mueller’s mark with a classic poacher’s effort, rounding the Augsburg goalkeeper to fire home having snapped up the rebound after Leroy Sane’s shot was parried just before the whistle.

“You wait for 90 minutes and then it comes in the last few seconds,” Lewandowski told Sky.

“It was like being in a science fiction film. I’ve lost my voice.

“I saw Leroy shoot for goal, I had to keep believing and luckily it came off.”

Lewandowski claimed the record having had his six previous shots all saved as Bayern were presented with the Bundesliga trophy after the final whistle for the ninth straight season

They finished the season 13 points clear in the table.

“I was a little bit disappointed to have not scored sooner, but sometimes such records have to be fought for,” added Lewandowski.

“I was patient and believed until the end. I thank my team, who share the record with me.”

It was the last game for Bayern head coach Hansi Flick, who will be replaced by Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann next season having won seven titles over the last 18 months.

At the other end of the table, Werder Bremen were relegated on the last day of the season after 40 years in Germany’s top flight.

Cologne’s 1-0 home win over bottom side Schalke meant automatic relegation for Bremen, who were thumped 4-2 at home to Moenchengladbach.

This is Bremen’s first relegation since 1979/80 before coming back up the following season.

Union Berlin qualified for the new Europa Conference League play-offs finishing seventh in the table with a shock 2-1 win over second-placed RB Leipzig.

Source: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo remains very much a Juventus player, coach Andrea Pirlo insisted Saturday with the Portuguese star’s future in doubt going into the final game of the season.

Juve’s Champions League hopes are no longer in their hands as they head for 11th-placed Bologna needing a win and hoping rivals Napoli and AC Milan slip up.

However, Pirlo does not believe that the game will be Ronaldo’s final one with the club if they fail to qualify for elite European football.

“No, I see him still in the ‘Bianconero’ jersey and focused,” Pirlo told a pre-match press conference.

“He proved it the other night, sacrificing himself because he wanted to win the Coppa Italia.

“I see him focused on tomorrow, then there’s time to discuss the rest.”

Juve’s nine-year title run was ended by Inter Milan and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a financial blow.

The competition is worth on average 80 million euros ($94 million) a season to teams.

Failure to qualify would make Ronaldo’s annual salary of 31 million euros a year difficult to sustain.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was recruited in 2018 from Real Madrid to help Juventus win the title after two lost finals in 2015 and 2017.

The 36-year-old is the top scorer in the competition with 134 goals.

In the meantime, Ronaldo is set to become the first player to finish the season top scorer in three major leagues — England, Spain, and Italy.

He has scored 28 goals so far, six more than Inter’s Romelu Lukaku and Atalanta’s Luis Muriel.

Meanwhile Pirlo also insisted the match would not decide his own future after an erratic first season, during which he won two trophies.

“I don’t think the club will decide my future based on what happens tomorrow,” said the 42-year-old.

“They have an idea of what has worked and what has not worked this season. You don’t make decisions just by looking at one last game.”

But he warned: “We really believe in it, we were dead after Milan (defeat) but the results, ours and those of others, allowed us to get back on their feet.”

Source: AFP

As this year’s pandemic-affected European football season wraps up in many countries across the continent this weekend, there is plenty still to play for. Several rebel Super League clubs are facing some harsh realities. Two of the five top leagues are still awaiting a champion. And some some clubs with rich histories are facing relegation.

Atlético Madrid is the surprise leader in Spain and Lille is an even bigger shock in France. Both can clinch their league titles with one final victory, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, at their heels.

Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have already won their league titles, but many of their rivals are still chasing Champions League qualification, which is crucial for both their image and their finances.

Some leagues will continue to play until May 29, ending only hours before Manchester City and Chelsea begin the Champions League final in Porto, Portugal.

Manchester United could win the first part of a European double for the English city on Wednesday when it faces Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk, Poland.

The season finales in the top leagues will be spread out through the weekend, with Spain playing its matches on Saturday at 4pm GMT. Sunday is more packed, starting with all 10 English Premier League matches at 3pm GMT, Italy’s keys games kicking off at 6.45pm GMT, and France starting 15 minutes later at 7pm GMT.

Title races

Atlético leads the Spanish standings by two points, but Real Madrid would win the title on a better head-to-head record if they finish level on points.

The matches in France come a day later.

Lille, which leads the league by one point, plays at Angers, a team with little to play for, being in the middle of the standings. Defending champion PSG, for its part, after winning a record 14th French Cup on Wednesday against Monaco, will face a Brest team that could still be dragged into a relegation playoff.

Even third-place Monaco, which plays at Lens, could win the French title. However, the team from the principality could also drop to fourth behind Lyon and fail to even enter the Champions League qualifying rounds.

In other title races, the Danish league will be won by either Brondby or Midtjylland on Monday. Maccabi Haifa has the edge over Maccabi Tel Aviv for its first Israeli title in 10 years.

Champions League

For a European club from a major market, the drop in expected revenue between playing in the Champions League or the Europa League would be €50-70 million.

All three of those clubs were founding members of the doomed Super League project that flared up quickly and died just as fast last month, adding spice to the jeopardy they now face.

Failure for Juventus would be further humiliation for club president Andrea Agnelli after the Super League fiasco. UEFA could yet ban Juventus — and Real Madrid and Barcelona — if they continue refusing to renounce the Super League.

Fifth place would also likely cost former midfield great Andrea Pirlo his job after only one season as Juventus coach.

Liverpool’s late surge after a slumping start to 2021 has put it in fourth place ahead of hosting Crystal Palace — a team coached by former Reds manager Roy Hodgson, who will be overseeing his final match before retirement from the sport.

Leicester beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup on Saturday, then lost on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge in a match that included a mass brawl. That result lifted Chelsea, which can also qualify for next season’s Champions League by beating Manchester City in the final, to third.

Chelsea travels to Aston Villa for its final match while Leicester hosts Tottenham, which is in seventh place and holds the spot that earns a place in the new third-tier Europa Conference League.

European qualification

Tottenham could fall out of European qualification altogether, and even be overtaken by neighbour Arsenal, which hosts Brighton. Everton is also in contention but visits champions Man City.

Union Berlin could qualify for the Europa Conference League in only its second season in the Bundesliga. The seventh-place club hosts Leipzig on Saturday.

Relegation battles

Werder Bremen’s successful past includes winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2009, but the German club is currently in the relegation playoff place before hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

In France, Nantes hosts Montpellier knowing a win could lift it clear of the relegation playoff spot. A Champions League semifinalist 25 years ago, Nantes looked doomed until winning four straight matches starting last month.

Unbeaten champions

Glasgow Rangers and Red Star Belgrade completed unbeaten seasons to win their leagues in Scotland and Serbia, respectively.

Slavia Prague can join them with two games left in the Czech league, which ends on May 29.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been included in France’s squad for the European Championship in a surprise move by coach Didier Deschamps on Tuesday.

Benzema, who has scored 29 goals in all competitions for Real this season, has not played for Les Bleus since 2015 after a blackmailing scandal over which he faces a trial in October.

He also said in 2016 that Deschamps had “bowed to the pressure of a racist part of France” when leaving the forward out of the Euro squad that year.

The 33-year-old Benzema, who has 27 goals in 81 games for France, features in the 26-man squad alongside fellow forwards Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Kingsley Coman, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Wissam Ben Yedder and Marcus Thuram.

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was not called up because of injury problems, Deschamps said.

While Deschamps had not picked Benzema since October 2015 and said he would “never forget” his comments, the France coach had never stated that he would not call him up again.

“I don’t have the ability, no one does, to go back and change anything. The most important thing is today and tomorrow. There have been important steps, one of them very important,” said Deschamps when asked about Benzema.

The striker was named best French player in a foreign league by the French professional footballers’ union on Sunday.

“We have seen each other. We had a long discussion. After that I had a long reflection to come to this decision. I’m not going to reveal a word of the discussion, it’s only our business. I needed it, he needed it.

“I have already been confronted with difficult situations, I have always put my personal case aside. The French team does not belong to me, even if I am well aware that the responsibility I have is important because of the choices I have to make.”

With Giroud lacking playing time at Chelsea, he is likely to make way for Benzema in the starting lineup.

Both players have been at odds, with Benzema saying on Instagram last year: “You can’t compare karting and Formula One, and I’m being kind.”

Deschamps sprung another surprise by picking Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

Euro 2020, which has been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, starts on June 11.

France are in Group F with Germany, Hungary and Portugal.

Under Deschamps, who took over as coach in 2012, France have won 14 games, drawn three and lost two in major competitions, reaching the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, the Euro 2016 final and winning the 2018 World Cup.

The French Squad:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur); Mike Maignan (Lille); Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Everton); Leo Dubois (Olympique Lyonnais); Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich); Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St Germain); Jules Kounde (Sevilla); Clement Lenglet (Barcelona); Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich); Raphael Varane (Real Madrid); Kurt Zouma (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Ngolo Kante (Chelsea); Thomas Lemar (Atletico Madrid); Paul Pogba (Manchester United); Adrien Rabiot (Juventus); Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur); Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco); Karim Benzema (Real Madrid); Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich); Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona); Olivier Giroud (Chelsea); Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona); Kylian Mbappe (Paris St Germain); Marcus Thuram (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Source: REUTERS

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he will speak to Sadio Mane after the Senegal forward snubbed him following Thursday’s 4-2 win at Manchester United.

Klopp left Mane on the bench for the first 74 minutes of the crucial Premier League clash, deciding to start Diogo Jota instead.

Following Mane’s brief substitute appearance, Klopp approached him at the final whistle to celebrate a crucial victory in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

But Mane refused to respond to the German and was caught on television walking towards the tunnel while shaking his head.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion, Klopp said he was not angry with Mane but would speak to the 29-year-old about the show of dissent.

“If somebody shows me five million times respect and one time not, what is then more important?” Klopp said on Friday.

“The world is in a situation when you make this one time bigger than necessary. That’s unfortunately the case.

“If you had seen me as a player what I did out of emotion it was insane — and I’m a completely normal guy, but it happened to me.

“We will talk about it, then it will be sorted. That’s all.”

Klopp suggested immediately after the match that his late decision to start Jota may have prompted Mane’s reaction.

The move paid off as Jota scored Liverpool’s equaliser, sparking their first win over their arch-rivals at Old Trafford since 2014.

The Liverpool boss does not expect any lingering fall-out from the incident as Liverpool try to secure a top four-finish in the Premier League.

“Do you want these things to happen? No,” he said. “But it’s not the first time in my life and I’m afraid to say it won’t be the last time.”

After failing to defend the Premier League title, Liverpool are trying to salvage a troubled season with Champions League qualification.

Fourth-placed Chelsea’s loss to Arsenal on Wednesday has opened the door for the Reds, who are four points behind with a game in hand.

With Chelsea playing third-placed Leicester next week, Liverpool will be almost certain of a top-four finish if they win their last three games against West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

“Most of the time I’ve been in a chasing role so if I’m enjoying it, I don’t know,” said Klopp. “Sometimes yes, but I’m used to it.

“Usually, when I’m involved, seasons go to the wire. Playing Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday is a tough one, but let’s give it a try.”

Source: AFP

UEFA announced on Thursday that the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea had been moved from Istanbul to Porto.

The match on May 29 has been switched to the Estadio do Dragao to allow English spectators to attend as travel between the UK and Turkey is suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, European football’s governing body announced up to 6,000 supporters from each club will be able to attend.

“We accept that the decision of the British Government to place Turkey on the red list for travel was taken in good faith and in the best interests of protecting its citizens from the spread of the virus but it also presented us with a major challenge in staging a final featuring two English teams,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.

“After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don’t have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season,” he added.

UK citizens returning from red list countries are required to quarantine at a government-approved hotel for 10 days.

Earlier this week, newspaper reports claimed the match would be played at Wembley Stadium.

Supporters groups from the Blues and City had requested the game be moved to England.

The UK’s Transport secretary Grant Shapps said he would have welcomed the fixture being played in London.

“The difficulties of moving the final are great and the FA and the authorities made every effort to try to stage the match in England and I would like to thank them for their work in trying to make it happen,” Ceferin said.

UEFA said coronavirus rules in the UK made it difficult to hold the fixture in the English capital.

“UEFA discussed moving the match to England but, despite exhaustive efforts on the part of the Football Association and the authorities, it was not possible to achieve the necessary exemptions from UK quarantine arrangements,” it said.

The final capacity at the ground in northern Portugal is still to be set.

Last season’s final as well as a ‘Final 8’ tournament for the quarter-finals were also held in Portugal, but in the capital Lisbon.

“Once again we have turned to our friends in Portugal to help both UEFA and the Champions League and I am, as always, very grateful to the FPF (Portuguese Football Association) and the Portuguese Government for agreeing to stage the match at such short notice,” Ceferin said.

The last round of the country’s top-flight Primeira Liga will see spectators return to stadia on May 19, with a limited number of people permitted, the league said on Wednesday.

(AFP)