Sports

28, February 2021

Football: Crisis-hit Schalke sack Gross, Knaebel, Asamoah to take “overall responsibility” ⁰

Bundesliga crisis club Schalke sacked almost their entire sporting leadership Sunday, including coach Christian Gross, after an alleged player revolt and a 16th league defeat plunged their nightmare season deeper into crisis.

“The decision had become unavoidable after results against Dortmund and Stuttgart,” said Schalke chairman Jens Buchta in a statement following Schalke’s 5-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday, a week after defeat to local rivals Borussia Dortmund.

“The team now owe it to the club and the fans to be as successful as possible in the last third of the season.”

Coach Gross, sporting director Jochen Schneider and team coordinator Sascha Riether were all relieved of their duties in Sunday’s mass clear out.

Gross’ assistant Rainer Widmayer and fitness coach Werner Leuthard were also fired.

The move comes with one-time giants Schalke bottom of the league and nine points adrift of safety, having won just one of their 23 league games this season.

Having been in the Champions League two seasons ago, Schalke are now hurtling towards their first relegation since 1988.

– Player revolt –

Veteran Swiss Gross, 66, had been in the job for only two months, having taken over from interim boss Huub Stevens at the end of December to become Schalke’s fourth coach this season.

Victory in his second game in charge saw Schalke narrowly avoid equalling a 54-year-old Bundesliga record of 31 games without a win, but Gross was ultimately unable to stop the rot.

The 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim remained his only win in 10 league games in charge, as Schalke remained rooted to the bottom of the table.

Reports of a player revolt against Gross’ leadership surfaced in the German media last week in the build-up to Saturday’s defeat.

Team coordinator Riether sought to play down the rumours, saying it was “normal that players are disappointed” but denying there was a “revolution” in the dressing room.

Yet on Sunday, both Gross and Riether were shown the door as Schalke made one last desperate bid to save their season.

The club have already begun to rebuild for the second division, handing over squad planning duties to loan director Mike Bueskens and youth director Peter Knaebel.

Two weeks ago, they announced that sporting director Schneider would leave at the end of the season, a decision which has now been brought forward.

Knaebel will now take on “overall responsibility”, with support from Bueskens, Norbert Elgert and Gerald Asamoah, the club said.

A replacement for Gross as head coach is yet to be announced.

Source: AFP

25, February 2021

Football: Mendy’s late strike puts Real Madrid in sight of Champions League quarters ⁰

Ferland Mendy scored late as Real Madrid beat 10-man Atalanta 1-0 on Wednesday to close in on the Champions League quarter-finals.

The French left-back’s strike in Bergamo came four minutes from time in a last 16 first leg game which the hosts played a man down for over 70 minutes as Zinedine Zidane’s side hold the advantage heading into the second leg in Madrid on March 16.

Atalanta had attacked early but the game was transformed when Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler was harshly send off on 17 minutes for tripping Mendy at the edge of the penalty area.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s woes continued with forward Duvan Zapata limping off after half an hour with a muscular problem with midfielder Mario Pasalic coming off the bench.

Spanish midfielder Isco got a rare start up front for injury-hit Real Madrid playing alongside Marco Asensio and Vinicius.

The 13-time European champions were without striker Karim Benzema due to an ankle problem with an injury list also including Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal.

But Zidane’s side failed to make the most of the extra man despite coming closest to breaking through in the first half with a Casemiro header, with Nacho, Isco and Vinícius Junior also threatening and Luka Modric sending over the goal.

Zapata and in-form Luis Muriel lead the Atalanta attack in their first meeting with Real Madrid.

Atalanta continued to attack, with Muriel missing a chance to give the hosts the advantage four minutes before the break with a long-range strike that went just wide.

Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini kept the hosts in the game keeping out a Casemiro header on a free kick before the half-time whistle.

Modric sent wide of the post after the break and sent through for Vinícius but was headed away from the Brazilian.

Josip Illicic came on in place of Muriel after 56 minutes.

The Slovenian scored five goals against Valencia at this stage of the competition last season, but was substituted off four minutes from time after a poor display.

Soon afterwards Madrid broke through thanks to Mendy, who beat Gollini with a stunning curling effort into the top corner.

Real have the advantage going into the second leg having missed out on the quarter-finals for the last two seasons.

Atalanta need a historic effort in the away leg to reach the last eight for a second successive year.

The Bergamo side won their last 16, first leg clash against Valencia 4-1 a year ago on front of 45,000 spectators in Milan’s San Siro.

That match was considered to have been one of the reasons behind the acceleration of the virus in Italy with Bergamo at the epicentre of the country’s outbreak.

The were playing their second Champions League campaign, but the first knock-out match in their home stadium which underwent renovations last season when they reached the last eight.

And thousands of fans ignored the Italian team’s plea to stay away with a party atmosphere outside the stadium with a fireworks display.

Source: AFP

23, February 2021

Argentina: Calls for medical board to rule on Maradona death ⁰

Argentina’s public prosecutor’s office will convene a medical board on March 8 to decide whether or not late football legend Diego Maradona was given proper treatment before his death, legal sources said on Tuesday.

Maradona died of a heart attack on November 25, weeks after undergoing brain surgery on a blood clot.

Investigators are trying to determine whether or not there was negligence in Maradona’s health care before he died.

Nine experts will be called on March 8 including the medical examiners that took part in Maradona’s autopsy.

The public prosecutor in San Isidro, a suburb of the capital Buenos Aires, has also called two more witnesses to appear before investigators on Thursday: a nursing coordinator and the doctor tasked with coordinating Maradona’s home care during the days before he died.

Five other people, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, are already under investigation in the involuntary manslaughter probe.

The latest two people included in the investigation were members of a WhatsApp chat group discussing Maradona’s care, local media reported.

Two of Maradona’s daughters — Gianinna, 31, and Jana, 24 — will also appear before prosecutors on Thursday.

They have accused Luque of responsibility in Maradona’s deteriorating health.

A first autopsy conducted the day Maradona died found he had suffered from liquid on the lungs with acute heart failure brought on by a disease of the heart muscles that makes it harder to pump blood. His heart was twice the normal size.

Maradona is an idol to millions of Argentines after he inspired the South American country to only its second World Cup triumph in 1986.

An attacking midfielder who spent two years with Spanish giants Barcelona, he is also loved in Naples where he helped Napoli win the only two Serie A titles in the club’s history.

He was coach of Argentine top flight outfit Gimnasia y Esgrima when he died.

He had celebrated his 60th birthday on October 30 at the club but looked in poor physical health and seemed to have trouble speaking.

Sources close to Maradona said he suffered from depression during eight months of coronavirus restrictions that confined him to home as he was considered a high-risk person.

Maradona was suffering from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders when he died.

He had battled cocaine and alcohol addictions during his life.

Source: AFP

14, February 2021

Football: Salah vows Liverpool won’t give up title fight ⁰

Mohamed Salah has warned Manchester City that Liverpool will “fight like champions” despite a miserable run that plunged his side’s Premier League title defence into turmoil.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are languishing 13 points behind leaders City after crashing to a 3-1 defeat at Leicester on Saturday.

Salah had given Liverpool the lead with his 17th league goal of the season, but the Reds collapsed in the closing stages.

Klopp conceded the title to City after Liverpool’s third successive defeat.

It is a remarkable decline after Liverpool romped to their first title in 30 years last term.

But, after 24 hours of painful fallout from the loss at the King Power Stadium, with Liverpool fans hanging a banner in support of the German boss on the railings outside the Kop reading ‘Jurgen Klopp YNWA’, Egypt forward Salah made a defiant statement of intent.

“It’s been a tough period for many reasons. We are champions and we will fight like champions, until the very end,” Salah wrote on Twitter.

“We will not allow this season to be defined by the recent results we’ve had. That is my promise to all of you.”

While retaining the title may now be beyond Liverpool, they are still in the Champions League.

Klopp’s team face the Bundesliga’s second-placed side Leipzig in a last-16 first-leg clash on Tuesday.

The match, which has been moved to the Puskas Arena in Hungary due to German government coronavirus regulations not allowing Liverpool to travel to the country, could be pivotal to the rest of the Reds’ campaign.

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold hopes a different competition and scenario will provide the lift they need to get out of their current slump.

“Everyone talks about a bad spell and a dip in form and stuff, but I feel personally we’ve performed well in the last few weeks, in the last two months or six weeks or so,” he told Liverpool’s website.

“It’s just that we haven’t been getting the results and it’s a results business so there’s no excuses for that.

“But I think confidence-wise, we’re not playing badly, we’re not getting battered.

“It’s about turning those performances into results and that’s probably what we need to look at most.

“In situations like this you want the opportunity to put it right as soon as possible.

“Different competition, which always freshens it up, different mentality going into it. It’s going to be a different task for us, a Champions League night.”

Source: AFP

12, February 2021

Club World Cup highlights challenges still in store for Qatar ahead of 2022 ⁰

Organisers would have wanted to use the Club World Cup as a demonstration of readiness for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, highlighting gleaming infrastructure and a soft touch with fans from abroad.

Instead foreign supporters were banned and all eyes were on strict coronavirus containment measures that followed high-profile outbreaks at the AFC Champions League and recent Australian Open qualifiers played in the Gulf state.

While the measures were lauded by FIFA as a success, Bayern Munich star Thomas Mueller tested positive for the virus and at least two members of the Al-Ahly delegation went down with Covid-19.

New coronavirus cases grew 18 percent nationwide in the eight days of the tournament compared to the same period the week before as health officials warned of a second wave.

A new lockdown could now be on the horizon, medical sources have told AFP.

However, confident authorities said ahead of the tournament that stringent testing requirements at a recent domestic cup final, similar to those in place for the Club World Cup, showed that the risk of the virus spreading at such an event could be contained.

– Measures still in place for World Cup? –

The day before the competition was due to get underway, Qatar announced a tightening of restrictions including a reduction of spectator capacity at stadiums to 20 percent.

However because the Club World Cup had secured approval to stage matches with stadiums at 30 percent capacity prior to the new rules, it was permitted to proceed with larger crowds, an official source told AFP.

“One hundred percent security never exists, but we can do whatever we can to go very close to this,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino told AFP in Doha during the tournament.

For the first time he also raised the prospect of coronavirus measures being enforced during the 2022 World Cup but insisted stadiums would be full.

The Club World Cup played out as Doha underwent a relative cold snap with temperatures in the evening, when matches were played, dipping below 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Next year the World Cup itself will be staged in November and December when conditions are likely to be similarly mild.

The two gleaming brand-new stadiums used for the Club World Cup — Education City and Ahmad bin Ali Stadium — also won plaudits from visiting players and managers.

So far Qatar has inaugurated three new venues and one refurbished ground with four still to open, most likely later this year. All of them boast state-of-the art air conditioning.

It was also revealed just ahead of the tournament that alcohol would be available at venues — albeit only in VIP hospitality suites pending a decision on general ticket holders’ access to drinks.

There was however no repeat of the boozy fan zones which proved popular with fans during the 2019 Club World Cup as all events away from matches were cancelled to stop the spread of Covid-19.

– Progress on human rights ‘limited’ –

While the large contingent of Al-Ahly fans who call Qatar home made stadiums feel more than 30 percent full, there was little else in Doha to suggest a major tournament was underway.

The limited number of fans attending matches also meant key aspects of Qatar’s 2022 infrastructure did not face an acid test.

The involvement of Bayern, both in the tournament and at previous training camps in Qatar, drew scrutiny from supporter groups and rights activists. Bayern have a shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.

In February 2020, labour activists Fair Square wrote to Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge urging the club to take a stand on workers’ rights issues.

Fair Square claimed that despite some progress, including reform pledges backed by the International Labour Organization, “progress has been limited in scope and as yet not effective in implementation”.

Qatari authorities stress that Amnesty International credits Qatar with meaningful labour reforms.

They include a new minimum wage due to begin this month, and scrapping requirements for managerial approval for staff changing companies.

Some migrant workers still complain of unpaid wages and being charged illegal recruitment fees.

Source: AFP

8, February 2021

Football Mafia: Ahmad Ahmad’s CAF presidential chance in tatters as Exco snubs his candidacy ⁰

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) might have provisionally suspended his ban by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) but Ahmad Ahmad is not out of the woods yet in his bid to regain the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

He thus faces a race against time with polls scheduled for next month in Rabat, Morocco.

The Madagascan official, found guilty by FIFA for financial misconduct and banned him for five years last November, still barbours ambitions of a return to CAF’s highest office.

However, in an about turn, the executive committee (Exco) of the continental mother body deemed FIFA should have the final say on the matter.

With FIFA unlikely to rescind its decision, it appears the 61-year-old’s prospects of leading the organisation, and the automatic rule as FIFA’s vice-president is null.

The CAF Exco met at a heated meeting in Cameroon ahead of the conclusion of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) where the board decided to ignore the independent Governance Committee’s advice.

The Exco opted to rely on FIFA’s position on the matter, which at the moment is a ban.

The meeting in Cameroon was Ahmad’s first official event since his ban by FIFA last November.

He left the meeting in a huff while his candidacy was under discussion.

Ahmad also lost in his attempts to have the March 12 polls postponed.

A postponement could have bought the beleaguered executive, found guilty of breaching FIFA’s Code of Ethics, some time.

It is believed a majority of the CAF Exco is advocating for Ahmad to excuse himself from the election.

Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Patrice Motsepe (South Africa), Augustin Senghor (Senegal) and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) are in the running for the polls.

Source: CAJ News Africa

6, February 2021

Onana Doping Affair: Van der Sar backs banned Cameroonian keeper ⁰

Ajax have been rocked by the news that their first-choice goalkeeper has been banned for 12 months by UEFA after failing a doping test

Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar has backed goalkeeper Andre Onana after his 12-month ban from football, saying he believes his doping violation was a genuine mistake.

Starting February 5, the Cameroon international goalkeeper cannot play or train after a banned substance was found in a urine test.

Van der Sar says that, while he cannot be 100 per cent sure, he trusts the 24-year-old’s explanation of what happened.

Why has Onana been banned?

Onana was banned by UEFA after an out-of-competition drugs test in October found the banned substance Furosemide in his urine sample.

He says he accidentally took a pill which had been prescribed to his wife, as he had been feeling unwell and believed it to be aspirin.

Can Onana appeal his ban?

Ajax have already confirmed they will appeal the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

A club statement said: “The disciplinary body of the football association has stated that Onana had no intention of cheating. However, the European Football Association believes, on the basis of the applicable anti-doping rules, that an athlete has a duty at all times to ensure that no banned substances enter the body.”

What has Van der Sar said?

Van der Sar explained how Onana came to take the substance and says he believes it was simply “stupid bad luck”.

“I am 100% convinced that the positive doping test was the result of a misunderstanding,” Van der Sar told De Telegraaf.

“During the international break in November we received a message from UEFA that Andre had been detected with a banned substance in his urine during an ‘out of competition’ check at De Toekomst (Ajax’s training base).

“That was a huge shock for us and the same was obviously true for him when we sought contact with him in Cameroon.

“A few days after the UEFA message, he came directly to De Toekomst from Schiphol [Airport] and we went to his bathroom with the doctor, where we took all the medication and anything that looked like it for examination.

“Andre was not feeling well on the day of the check-up and thought he had taken a headache tablet, but it turned out that he had taken a pill from a strip of his wife’s medicine, which she had been prescribed after the pregnancy of their first child. It looked quite similar in name and the packaging. And the strips were loose in his locker. It’s stupid bad luck.”

What effects does Furosemide have?

Furosemide does not have any performance-enhancing qualities. It is a diuretic medication used to treat fluid build-up due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease, and can also be used to treat high blood pressure.

Van der Sar believes this adds credence to Onana’s claim that he took it by accident.

“It doesn’t make you stronger or faster. Andre, who has been checked many times, is the undisputed number one with us and Cameroon and is highly regarded by all top clubs. You don’t get that from one pill.”

Van der Sar also addressed the claim that Furosemide can be used as a masking agent to prevent other substances showing in doping tests.

“That could be the case, yes. But in all the other checks, Furosemide was not found and no other substances either.”

Source: Goal.com

6, February 2021

CAF president arrives in Yaoundé for CHAN final ⁰

The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad arrived in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde on Friday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) final.

Interim Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) President Seidou Mbombo Njoya met Ahmad at the Nsimalem International Airport.

Ahmad arrived the Central African nation one week after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) suspended a five-year ban FIFA placed on him over corruption allegations.

He is due to preside over the final between title holders Morocco and Mali at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

Source: Xinhuanet

5, February 2021

Cameroonian Ajax goalkeeper Onana suspended one year for doping ⁰

Ajax’s Cameroonian international goalkeeper Andre Onana has been suspended for one year for doping, the Dutch club said on Friday.

The club said in a statement Onana had “mistakenly” taken his wife’s medicine which had led to the banned diuretic Furosemide appearing in his urine.

Ajax said they had hoped Onana would receive a shorter ban because the substance was “arguably” not a performance booster.

“On the morning of October 30, Onana was feeling unwell,” the club said in a statement.

“He wanted to take a pill to ease the discomfort. Unknowingly, however, he took Lasimac, a drug that his wife had previously been prescribed.

“Onana’s confusion resulted in him mistakenly taking his wife’s medicine, ultimately causing this measure to be taken by UEFA against the goalkeeper.”

Ajax added that UEFA had stated that Onana, who has played 18 times for Cameroon, had no intention of cheating and said they will appeal against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“We had hoped for a conditional suspension or for a suspension much shorter than these 12 months, because it was arguably not intended to strengthen his body and thus improve his performance,” said Ajax’s managing director Edwin van der Sar, the former Manchester United goalkeeper.

It is the second major setback this week for Ajax who admitted Thursday that they had made a “huge” mistake in failing to register record signing Sebastien Haller for the remainder of their Europa League campaign.

The Franco-Ivorian striker joined the club from West Ham in early January for a club record 22.5 million euros ($26.9 million) and ought to have been included on their Europa League roster but somehow was overlooked.

Source: AFP

4, February 2021

CHAN 2021: Morocco One step away from title after beating Cameroon ⁰

Morocco’s national football team of local-based players has eliminated Cameroon to reach the final of the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The Moroccan team won 4-0 against the tournament’s host. The game took place this evening, February 4, at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium, on Cameroon’s western coast.

Wednesday’s win extends Morocco’s undefeated run to 12 games in CHAN competitions — 10 wins and two draws. The last time Morocco lost in the CHAN dates back to the 2016 tournament, when they lost 0-1 against Cote d’Ivoire in the group stage. This is the longest unbeaten run ever in the history of the competition.

Today’s win also makes Morocco the first team in CHAN history to reach two consecutive finals. One more win would make the Moroccan team the first to win two consecutive CHAN titles, as well.

The final game of the competition will put the Atlas Lions against Mali on Sunday, February 7, at 8 p.m. (Moroccan time).

Mali earned a spot in the final after beating Guinea earlier today through a penalty shootout (5-4). The game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Having won the previous CHAN in 2018, Morocco entered this year’s competition with their eyes locked on the trophy. No result other than winning the tournament would satisfy Moroccans.

With only one game now separating Morocco from defending its title, expectations are at their highest.

Morocco reached this advanced stage of the competition after finishing the group stage at the top of Group C, ahead of Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda. Before playing against Cameroon, Morocco won 3-1 versus Zambia in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Morocco’s final opponent of the competition, Mali, ranked first in Group A, ahead of Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe. In the quarter-finals, Mali eliminated Congo through a penalty shootout (5-4) after a tense game that ended in a 0-0 draw.

Source: Moroccoworldnews