FIFA World Cup dropped from FOX Soccer Match Pass

In a massive U-turn, FOX Sports has decided not to stream the 2018 FIFA World Cup on the FOX Soccer Match Pass streaming service after all.

The news comes just one week after FOX Sports announced in a press release that its live coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup schedule would be streamed across the FOX Soccer Match Pass streaming service and apps.

No explanation for the U-turn has been given, and we were unable to reach FOX Sports for comment.

No cable or satellite subscription is required to stream games on FOX Soccer Match Pass, so it’s quite possible that the decision may have been reached after a rethink of FOX’s World Cup streaming strategy. By not allowing the games to be streamed on FOX Soccer Match Pass, it encourages consumers to watch the games on the FOX and FS1 networks thereby increasing viewership and satisfying advertisers who are paying millions to have their brand featured during commercials on the FOX television networks.

FOX Sports has amended last week’s press release to remove mentions of FOX Soccer Match Pass. Instead, the release says that viewers can stream the World Cup via FOX Sports GO, FOXSports.com website and the FOX Sports App.

However, currently, both the FOX Sports GO and FOX Sports App require authentication in order for sports fans to watch the live broadcasts. And there’s no indication yet whether streams via the FOXSports.com website will be behind a paywall or not.

What we do know for sure is that FOX Soccer Match Pass won’t be streaming the games, which is disappointing news given that the World Cup coverage is a unique selling point for the streaming service.

SEE MORE: Schedule of World Cup games on US TV and streaming

While FOX Soccer Match Pass is no longer an option for cord cutters who want to stream the World Cup, other legal third-party streaming services are available that will stream every game such as Sling TV, fuboTV, DIRECTV NOW, YouTube TV and PlayStation. Each of the services offer free trials.

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Juventus face AC Milan for fourth Italian Cup title in row

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Holders Juventus booked their ticket to the Italian Cup final for the fourth year in a row to set up a meeting with AC Milan after a 1-0 win over Atalanta in a semi-final second leg tie played in the snow in Turin on Wednesday.

The first leg ended 1-0 in Bergamo thanks to an early Gonzalo Higuain goal, and Juventus also won the second when Miralem Pjanic slotted in a 75th-minute penalty awarded after Blaise Matuidi was fouled in the box.

The three-time holders will play AC Milan who battled past Lazio 5-4 on penalties in the Stadio Olympico after their semi-final remained goalless after extra time.

Nikola Kalinic almost scored the winner after 117 minutes but sent the ball over the bar when alone in front of goal, sending the game to penalties.

AC Milan could thank the saves of teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for a spot in the final in Rome on May 9 with centre-back Alessio Romagnoli scoring the winning penalty.

“It was a night of suffering. This is a very young team, we must get them back to being the team that made the fans dream,” said Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso.

The win extends Gattuso’s unbeaten streak with AC Milan to 13 games, with six straight wins.

But the former AC Milan midfielder insisted there was too much talk about him and how he has turned around the team.

“I’m not a tactical guru. I’m just a lucky guy.”

Five-time winners Milan last won the Cup in 2003, with their last final in 2016.

Earlier Juventus took on Atalanta, whose Serie A game Sunday was snowed off, with light snowfall still in the Allianz Stadium.

“Compliments to the lads for what they did tonight and are doing this season,” said coach Massimiliano Allegri.

– ‘Not an obsession’ –

It will be a record 18th final for Juventus with Allegri’s side bidding for a 13th Cup in total.

“We will play in a historical stadium, but it must not become an obsession,” continued the Juventus coach of their bid for a record fourth Cup crown. 

“In the first half we had difficulty closing them down, after the break Douglas Costa started playing in a centre-forward role and that broke the game open.”

Higuain missed out as he recovers from a sprained ankle.

Atalanta had come out firing with Alejandro Gomez sending over the bar with Gianluigi Buffon tested as he latched on to Josip Ilicic’s deflected cross pushing over the top.

Gomez thought he had scored the equaliser for Atalanta after the break with Buffon off the line, lobbing the Juventus captain, only for the ball to bounce off the outside off the post.

The breakthrough came when Juventus were awarded a penalty when Matuidi went down under pressure from defender Gianluca Mancini, with Pjanic slotting in to the fury of Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

“That penalty was non-existent,” blasted Gasperini as his side missed out on their bid for just a second Cup title after 1963.

AC Milan and Lazio battled for 220 minutes in total between the San Siro and the Stadio Olympico in a tie between two ambitious sides who have rediscovered their form in Serie A and the Europa League.

Lazio threatened early with AC Milan staying in the game thanks to Donnarumma who tipped over a Ciro Immobile shot within the first five minutes and then denied Sergej Milinkovic-Savic with his legs.

Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha also did well to clear off Suso after a quarter-of-an hour, but almost created an own goal by badly clearing Hakan Calhanoglu freekick.

Both sides had their chances in the second half with Milinkovic-Savic again missing in the final minute.

After their gruelling match both sides face tough weekends in Serie A with Lazio hosting Juventus and AC Milan a derby against city rivals Inter Milan.

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Griezmann sets sights on Barca after Leganes quadruple

Madrid (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann made it back-to-back hat-tricks by putting four goals past Leganes and now Atletico Madrid’s star striker has Barcelona in his sights.

Atletico and their French maestro go up against the La Liga leaders on Sunday and will arrive brimming with confidence after subjecting Leganes to a 4-0 demolition, with Griezmann again the star of the show. 

His quadruple, fired off in 32 minutes either side of half-time, means he now has seven goals in two games following last weekend’s treble against Sevilla, and 12 in his last nine. For comparison, Lionel Messi has hit five goals in the same period. 

Atletico have also cut the gap at the top of La Liga to four points, before Barcelona play their game in hand at Las Palmas on Thursday. Leganes stay 14th. 

But Griezmann will be the player in focus before the weekend, his form handed extra pertinence given Barca were forced last month to deny they had already struck a deal to sign the 26-year-old. 

“I’ve never scored at Camp Nou. I want to score and to celebrate,” Griezmann said. “I want to do something big with my club and my opportunity.” 

After Zinedine Zidane paid the price for resting Cristiano Ronaldo in Real’s defeat to Espanyol on Tuesday, Diego Simeone chose not to preserve his own stars as Griezmann, Diego Costa and Angel Correa all started. 

Both teams rounded the centre circle before kick-off for a minute’s silence in memory of Enrique Castro, the former Barcelona and Spain striker who died on Tuesday. 

Leganes almost took an early lead when Gerard Gumbau’s long-range effort crashed against the crossbar and Griezmann would have been off the mark sooner had his bending free-kick not also struck the woodwork. But the forward did not have long to wait. 

In the 25th minute, a defence splitting pass from Koke set Griezmann away and, after shrugging off the scrambling Gumbau, he slid the ball past Ivan Cuellar. 

Ten minutes later Griezmann was celebrating his second. Again he had Koke to thank, the midfielder winning the foul after a brilliant flick on the edge of the area and this time Griezmann dispatched the free-kick with a curling shot into the corner. 

Leganes’ early impetus was now extinguished and 10 minutes into the second half, Griezmann completed his hat-trick. 

After nonchalantly allowing Costa’s pass to run through his legs and reach Filipe Luis, Griezmann darted into the box, jumped high and met the full-back’s cross with a bullet header into the net. 

If his first three goals demonstrated speed, technique and movement, Griezmann’s fourth owed much to a slice of luck, a mishit finish from Costa’s cross. 

He could even have had a fifth late on, only for an offside flag to spare the weary Leganes further humiliation. 

Despite Griezmann’s sparkling individual display, Simeone emphasised the work of his providers. 

“It was great work by the team,” Simeone said. “Koke, Costa, Filipe – they were all brilliant passes, which helps his talent to be shown.” 

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After Neymar, PSG now sweat on Mbappe for Real

Paris (AFP) – As if losing Neymar wasn’t bad enough, Paris Saint-Germain’s hopes of overturning their 3-1 Champions League deficit to Real Madrid took another blow on Wednesday when striker Kylian Mbappe picked up an ankle injury in the 3-0 French Cup quarter-final win over Marseille.

“Kylian Mbappe injured his ankle. He asked not to play the second half. I hope that it’s not too serious,” said PSG coach Unai Emery whose team host Real in Paris on Tuesday in the second leg of their last-16 tie.

Earlier Wednesday, it was revealed that Brazilian superstar Neymar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot in Brazil at the end of this week, ruling the world’s most expensive footballer out of the do-or-die duel with Real.

The 26-year-old suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot as well as a twisted ankle late in PSG’s 3-0 win over Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

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Guardiola ready to give up ‘yellow ribbon’ Catalonia protest at City’s request

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has admitted he would abandon his ‘yellow ribbon’ protest if requested to do so by his employers, Manchester City, or if he thought the issue was negatively impacting upon his players.

The Catalan manager has been charged by the Football Association over displaying the political symbol on the touchline during games, in contravention of the English governing body’s regulations and in spite of two official warnings.

The City boss has claimed his protest is not political, but humanitarian, although it relates to four Catalans currently being held in prison over the campaign for Catalan independence from Spain.

Although Guardiola has been backed in his position by City, he does concede that should that position change, he will abandon his ribbon protest.

And he would do likewise if he ever felt that the issue was beginning to affect his team, currently a huge 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League.  

“Yeah of course, the club is in front of (more important than) me,” Guardiola told a pre-match news conference ahead of Thursday’s league match with Arsenal — the team his side beat in the League Cup final at Wembley last weekend to give the manager his first trophy in English football.

“It’s more important what is happening with the team and the club than my personal opinion. Of course, I don’t want to damage my team or club. They know my opinion, it’s simple like that.”

– ‘Personal not political’ –

Guardiola, a former manager of both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, added: “I think it’s not going to happen but if they (the club) say that, I am going to accept that. They are the bosses. The club is more important than my personal opinion. But my personal opinion is not a political opinion.” 

His much-publicised stance over the controversy in Catalonia has become a major issue in his homeland where, according to reports in Spain, the City manager’s private plane was searched at Barcelona’s El Prat airport last week by police looking for exiled Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.

However, Guardiola insists that, even though his protest aims to highlight the fates of a jailed group that includes Catalan politicians Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, it is not a political issue.

“When men and women put on a pink ribbon it’s because of the support for the breast cancer initiative,” he said.

“The same when I wear the the prostate cancer badge, it’s the same, the idea is the same, there are a lot of ribbons.

“I’m pretty sure there are people all around the world in Spain and Catalunya who do not want to be independent, but they are not agreeing with putting people in ‘prevention’ jail.

“It’s not about the right or left, the democracy or the republicans. If I wear the ribbon (as) support for the people with AIDS, it’s not for the right or left.

“The people in Catalunya are independent people, it’s not about a political issue. It’s for the people who say it’s not right to have four people in the ‘prevention’ jail when two of them are not politicians.

“No, the ribbons are many colours. It says something for humanity. The FA, I am open to talking to them, to express what I expressed in the last days and today.”

– Support for Wenger –

Meanwhile, Guardiola has also voiced his support for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, widely criticised following City’s emphatic 3-0 win over his team in Sunday’s League Cup Final at Wembley.

There have been calls for the veteran French manager to be replaced by the Gunners at the end of the season but, in contrast to a number of his high-profile peers, Guardiola insisted he will never speak badly of a rival.

“What happened with Arsene after the game has happened to me. I always support my colleagues,” said Guardiola.

“I don’t understand when managers criticise the other managers because we feel the same, when we win, when we lose, we accept the opinions of the fans and the people and you feel alone. 

“Believe me, you feel alone because there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders. I understand completely. I’d like to tell him that I am close, I am on the same side as him.”

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Griezmann hits four as Atletico thrash Leganes

Madrid (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann delivered a resounding message to Barcelona by scoring four goals against Leganes ahead of Atletico Madrid’s crunch match at the Nou Camp on Sunday. 

Atletico and their French maestro will head to Catalonia brimming with confidence after subjecting lowly Leganes to a 4-0 demolition, with Griezmann again the star of the show. 

His quadruple, fired off in 32 minutes either side of half-time, means he now has seven goals in two games, and 12 in his last nine. For comparison, Lionel Messi has hit five goals in the same period. 

Atletico have also cut the gap at the top of La Liga to four points, before Barcelona play their game in hand at Las Palmas on Thursday. 

But Griezmann will be the player in focus before the weekend, his form handed extra pertinence given Barca were forced last month to deny they had already struck a deal to sign the 26-year-old. 

After Zinedine Zidane paid the price for resting Cristiano Ronaldo in Real’s defeat to Espanyol on Tuesday, Diego Simeone chose not to preserve his own stars as Griezmann, Diego Costa and Angel Correa all started. 

Both teams rounded the centre circle before kick-off for a minute’s silence in memory of Enrique Castro, the former Barcelona and Spain striker who died on Tuesday.

Leganes almost took an early lead when Gerard Gumbau’s long-range effort crashed against the crossbar and Griezmann would have been off the mark sooner had his bending free-kick not also struck the woodwork. 

But the forward did not have long to wait. In the 25th minute, a defence splitting pass from Koke set Griezmann away and, after shrugging off the scrambling Gumbau, he slid the ball past Ivan Cuellar. 

Ten minutes later Griezmann was celebrating his second. Again he had Koke to thank, the midfielder winning the foul after a brilliant flick on the edge of the area and this time Griezmann dispatched the free-kick with a curling shot into the corner. 

Leganes’ early impetus was now extinguished and 10 minutes into the second half, Griezmann completed his hat-trick. 

After nonchalantly allowing Costa’s pass to run through his legs and reach Filipe Luis, Griezmann darted into the box, jumped high and met the full-back’s cross with a bullet header into the net. 

If his first three goals demonstrated speed, technique and movement, Griezmann’s fourth owed much to a slice of luck, a mishit finish from Costa’s cross. 

He could even have had a fifth late on, only for an offside flag to spare the weary Leganes further humiliation. 

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Di Maria double sinks Marseille to soften Neymar blow

Paris (AFP) – Angel Di Maria grabbed two goals as Paris Saint-Germain downed fierce rivals Marseille 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the French Cup semi-finals, hours after the club confirmed Neymar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot.

The Argentina international replaced the injured Neymar in the starting line-up at the Parc des Princes and struck the opening goal in first-half stoppage time.

Di Maria added a second shortly after the interval before Edinson Cavani wrapped up a second 3-0 victory over Marseille in four days, following Sunday’s home win in the league.

PSG announced shortly before kick-off that Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, would travel to Brazil for an operation at the end of the week after he suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot at the weekend.

The club said that Rodrigo Lasmar, the surgeon with the Brazilian national squad, will perform the surgery, with Neymar expected to miss between six to eight weeks, according to his father.

The absence of the 222-million euro ($264 million) Brazilian is a bitter blow to PSG as they attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Real Madrid next Tuesday in the Champions League last 16.

But Di Maria, who sat out the entirety of the first leg defeat in Spain a fortnight ago, demonstrated all is not lost for Unai Emery’s team as he broke the deadlock with a deflected right-foot strike on the stroke of half-time.

Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, absent for Sunday’s loss, had produced a magnificent save to deny Di Maria minutes earlier but was helpless to keep out the Argentine’s shot as it flicked Adil Rami before nestling in the corner.

Poor defending presented the former Real player with his second on 48 minutes, as Aymen Abdennour failed to cut out Yuri Berchiche’s left-wing cross and Di Maria turned home via another deflection with the ball creeping past Mandanda. 

Cavani netted a third on 81 minutes courtesy of a clinical finish as PSG moved a step closer to a fourth successive French Cup title.

The holders are joined in the last four of the competition by two third-division clubs — Les Herbiers and Chambly — while Lyon visit Caen in Thursday’s remaining quarter-final.

Les Herbiers knocked out Ligue 2 outfit Lens in a penalty shootout on Tuesday following a goalless draw in Nantes, with Lassana Doucoure scoring a late winner for Chambly in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over top-flight Strasbourg.

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Greek match-fixing scandal leads to 58 jail sentences

Athens (AFP) – Fifty-eight people were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 30 months to 10 years on Wednesday for their involvement in the 2011 match-fixing scandal which rocked Greek football.

Several of the sentences were suspended for three years, while a number of other individuals can avoid jail by paying five euros per day for the duration of their prison term. 

Among those sentenced by the three-member Court of Appeal was former Greece international and current Brisbane Roar defender Avraam Papadopoulos who received a suspended 30-month sentence. 

The court ruled the 33-year-old was guilty of illegal betting on matches while he was playing for Greek giants Olympiakos.

Another former Olympiakos player Kostas Mendrinos, now at Apollon Smyrnis, was handed a similar punishment for the same offence.

Former Ilioupoli player Michalis Nikolopoulos was sentenced to four years behind bars, a sentence that will be suspended under the condition that he appears every month at the local police station and is under the supervision of a social welfare officer.

Nikolopoulos was found guilty of betting, as well as bribery in two matches.

Achilleas Beos, the mayor of the northern city of Volos and ex-president of Olympiakos Volos, received a four-year sentence for bribery, manipulating results of two matches and illegal betting.

Asteras Tripolis owner Dimitris Bakos and the club’s president Giorgos Borovilos were handed suspended three-year terms for bribery, while former Levadiakos president Giannis Kombatis got a term of 30 months.

The longest jail term was given to former Ilioupoli president Giorgos Tsakogiannis, sentenced to 10 years and 10 months for illegal gambling, illegal betting, bribery, money laundering, attempted extortion and the possession of illegal weapons.

He was reportedly involved in four attempts to rig matches.

All those sentenced have the right of appeal.

Originally 84 people were named in the match-fixing scandal, including Olympiakos boss Vangelis Marinakis who along with 24 others were acquitted.

Greek judicial authorities began the investigation after a list of 41 suspicious matches were submitted to the country’s football federation by European football’s ruling body UEFA.

The list included two matches from the Super League and many from the second division.

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Llorente treble sees six-goal Spurs into FA Cup quarter-finals

London (AFP) – Fernando Llorente scored a second-half hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur advanced into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 6-1 win over lowly Rochdale at a snowy Wembley on Wednesday in a fifth-round replay.

The match had threatened to be overshadowed by fresh controversy involving the Video Assistant Referee, who was repeatedly called upon in a first half that ended level at 1-1.

But Llorente’s treble put the result beyond doubt with Son Heung-Min, who had opened the scoring on the night, making it 5-1 in the 65th minute.

Spurs, eight-times FA Cup winners, will now be away to Premier League rivals Swansea in the quarter-finals as they continue their quest to win a first major trophy since lifting the English League Cup in 2008.

Third-tier strugglers Rochdale were unchanged from the side that held Spurs to a 2-2 draw in the original tie while Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes from the side which snatched a 1-0 league win at Crystal Palace last time out.

Spurs thought they had taken an early lead thanks to Erik Lamela’s close-range finish.

But referee Paul Tierney, after consulting the VAR, ruled it out for what appeared to be a foul by Spanish striker Llorente on Harrison McGahey in the build-up.

Tierney consulted the VAR, being trialled in English cup competitions this season, again to deny Lucas Moura a penalty but Spurs did take the lead soon afterwards when Son slotted home in the 23rd minute.

With Harry Kane on the bench, Son was Spurs’ designated penalty-taker.

He got a chance from the spot when, after another lengthy VAR consultation, Tottenham were awarded a penalty for a foul by Matt Done on Kieran Trippier.

The South Korea star then put the penalty into the back of the net but Tierney disallowed the ‘goal’ because Son had stopped in his run-up before striking the penalty.

Pochettino’s furious mood on the touchline would not have been improved when Rochdale equalised in the 31st minute, with Stephen Humphrys latching on to a fine ball over the top from Andy Cannon before shooting past Michel Vorm in the Spurs goal.    

Cannon was then desperately unlucky to hit the post just before the break before Llorente ended any thoughts of a huge upset early in the second half.

He made it 2-1 in the 47th minute when he chipped over goalkeeper Josh Lillis from Moura’s through ball.

Six minutes later, Llorente gave Spurs a two-goal lead when, from Moura’s cross, he finished from close range. 

Just before the hour Llorente completed his hat-trick after heading in from six yards out following a cross by the influential Son.

And it was Son himself who made it 5-1 when, after Moura had released Lamela down the left, he tapped into an empty net from the edge of the six-yard box.

Now only an abandonment could deny Spurs but Tierney was content merely to ask the groundsmen to clear the lines of snow. 

And deep into stoppage time, with virtually the last kick of the game, substitute Kyle Walker-Peters scored his first Spurs goal to make it 6-1.

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Neymar goes under the knife, misses Real clash

Paris (AFP) – Brazilian superstar Neymar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot in Brazil at the end of this week, ruling the world’s most expensive footballer out of Paris Saint-Germain’s do-or-die Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot as well as a twisted ankle late in PSG’s 3-0 win over Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

PSG said Wednesday that Rodrigo Lasmar, the surgeon with the Brazilian national squad, will carry out the operation.

On Tuesday, the Brazilian’s father had claimed the player would be out for “at least six weeks”.

Speaking to ESPN in Brazil before PSG’s announcement, Neymar Senior said: “PSG know that they will not be able to count on Neymar for the upcoming matches. His treatment will last six to eight weeks, whether there is an operation or not.” 

PSG coach Unai Emery had said earlier that “no decision” had been taken on whether Neymar would require surgery and that there remained a “small chance” of getting him back in time to face Real next Tuesday, March 6.

PSG lost 3-1 in the first leg in Spain two weeks ago and are in danger of being knocked out of the competition in the last 16 for the second season running.

Neymar appeared to be in tears as he was stretchered off the field at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Brazilian newspaper Globo Esporte claimed the former Barcelona player would be sidelined until May while, if his father’s estimate was correct, Neymar would not return before the semi-final stage of the Champions League in late April.

– World Cup fears –

However, Neymar should be fit to play for Brazil at the World Cup in Russia in June and July.

In the meantime, PSG had to do without Neymar for Wednesday’s French Cup quarter-final at home to Marseille, the second meeting of the clubs in four days.

Argentine star Angel Di Maria replaced the Brazilian at the Parc des Princes, with PSG hoping to stay on course to win the French Cup for the fourth season in a row.

Neymar has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for PSG since his 222 million-euro ($264 million) move from Barcelona last August.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, Neymar’s foot injury has unleashed sharp emotions and concern, rumours and speculation about the player upon whom so many hopes rest for World Cup victory.

“We just might have lost the World Cup last Sunday,” one radio commentator, Milton Neves of Bandnews FM, said early Wednesday.

Brazilians care little about the impact on PSG. Their attention is entirely trained on the World Cup, where they have ambitions of walking away with a sixth championship.

Images of Sunday’s fateful duel between Neymar and Marseille player Bouna Sarr were being shown incessantly on TV, often in slo-mo, before he was stretchered off. 

Newspapers featured close-up illustrations detailing Neymar’s foot and ankle.

“I don’t think we can really talk about fears of him not being at the World Cup. But there is a noticeable haste to find a solution so that Neymar will have recovered in time,” an ESPN Brasil sports commentator, Mauro Cezar Pereira, told AFP.

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Juventus sweat on Champions League survival as profits fall

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Juventus’s progress in the Champions League will be vital for the Italian champions’ coffers after a 40 percent drop in profits for the first half of the season was announced on Wednesday.

The six-time successive Serie A winners recorded a profit of 43.3 million euros ($52.8m) for the first half of the season to December 31, 2017, compared to 72 million euros for the same period in 2016 — a drop of 28.7 million euros.

Club president Andrea Agnelli on Wednesday approved the figures with overall revenue dropping 7.8 percent to 290.6 million euros ($354.7m).

The board of directors noted that the 2017/2018 financial year, which is currently expected to yield a loss, will be strongly influenced by results, in particular the club’s progress in the Champions League.

Juventus — runners up in the elite European competition twice in the past three seasons — play English side Tottenham in the last-16 return leg at Wembley Stadium on March 7, having drawn the first leg at home 2-2.

Juventus say the drop in profits is explained by “lower revenues from players’ registration rights totalling 45 million euros, higher costs for external services and other expenses for 12.4 million euros and for players’ wages and technical staff costs for 7.7 million euros, as well as amortisation on players’ registration rights for 13.5 million euros.”

The total debt increased 72.1 percent to 279.7 million euros, with 81.6 million of that coming from transfer spending.

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Pjanic sends Juventus into fourth successive Italian Cup final

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Holders Juventus booked their ticket to the Italian Cup final for the fourth year in a row after a 1-0 win over Atalanta in a semi-final second leg tie played in the snow in Turin on Wednesday.

The first leg ended 1-0 in Bergamo thanks to an early Gonzalo Higuain goal, and Juventus won the second when Miralem Pjanic slotted in a 75th-minute penalty awarded after Blaise Matuidi was fouled in the box.

The three-time holders will play either AC Milan or Lazio — who are 0-0 going into the second semi-final later on Wednesday in the Stadio Olympico — in the final which will be in Rome on May 9.

Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus are bidding for a record fourth successive Cup title and 13th in total.

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Asia football boss wants Iraq back in full international fold

Basra (Iraq) (AFP) – The Asian Football Confederation head on Wednesday called for Iraq to be allowed to host competitive international matches, as FIFA gears up to decide on whether to lift a ban on the strife-torn nation. 

“The time has come” to end the three-decade-long ban, AFC chief Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa told a news conference at the stadium in the southern city of Basra ahead of an international friendly between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis made the cut for this year’s World Cup finals in Russia, while Iraq, who played many of their ‘home’ games in Tehran, narrowly missed out.

AFC chief Al-Khalifa says FIFA should come and see for themselves that Iraq is ready to host matches safely.

“We ask FIFA to take this decision and we invite FIFA’s leaders to come and watch matches in Iraq,” he said.

Gianni Infantino who is president of world football’s governing body FIFA was invited by Iraq’s football authorities but did not travel to Basra for the match.

FIFA is due to decide on March 16 whether to lift the ban preventing Iraq from hosting competitive international matches.

The country has not played full internationals on home turf ever since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait that sparked an international embargo.

The ban, covering all but domestic matches, stayed in place after the US-led invasion of 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

It was briefly lifted in 2012, but a power outage during an Iraq-Jordan match in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil led FIFA to promptly reinstate it.

Iraq in December declared victory over the Islamic State group and FIFA finally relaxed the ban, allowing international friendlies in Basra, Karbala, south of Baghdad, and in Arbil.

Among the excited home supporters, several of them draped in the Iraqi flag and some carrying drums, Abbas Hakim, 20, said he travelled more than three hours with a group of friends to see the match.

“Iraq is playing a strong team… I must be here when we win,” he said.

Hossam Nasser covered the 500 kilometres (300 miles) from Baghdad. “The whole world will be watching this match,” said the 23-year-old student.

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World Cup in mind, Brazil obsesses over Neymar’s injury

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – In Brazil, the land where football is king, Neymar’s foot injury has unleashed sharp emotions and concern, rumors and speculation about the star player upon whom so many hopes rest for World Cup victory in Russia.

“We just might have lost the World Cup last Sunday,” one radio commentator, Milton Neves of Bandnews FM, said early Wednesday.

Sunday was the day when Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Marseille 3-0 — but with Neymar suffering a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot as well as a twisted ankle. 

That’s an injury that could cost dearly when talking about the world’s most expensive player, recruited by PSG for 222 million euros ($271 million) last August.

Brazilians care little about the impact on the Paris club. Their attention is entirely trained on the World Cup, where they have ambitions of walking away with a sixth championship.

Neymar’s father said Tuesday his son would be out for at least six weeks. 

If that holds, Neymar could still return to form for the World Cup, which starts mid-June. But an operation could see him miss the end of the European season with PSG.

– ‘Haste to find a solution’ –

In his home country, images of the fateful duel between “Ney” and Marseille player Bouna Sarr were being shown incessantly on TV, often in slo-mo, before the 26-year-old was stretchered off. Newspapers featured close-up illustrations detailing Neymar’s foot and ankle.

In both Brazil and France, medical orthopedic and trauma specialists were getting considerable airplay as they weighed in on what should happen. Most recommended surgery.

“I don’t think we can really talk about fears of him not being at the World Cup. But there is a noticeable haste to find a solution so that Neymar will have recovered in time,” an ESPN Brasil sports commentator, Mauro Cezar Pereira, told AFP.

It was to that channel that Neymar Senior said on Tuesday: “PSG know that they will not be able to count on Neymar for the upcoming matches: his treatment will last six to eight weeks, whether there is an operation or not.” 

The father said the decision on surgery was up to PSG, not Neymar. “I’m not a doctor, so we have to wait for the club’s decision,” he said.

According to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, Neymar’s contract has a clause saying he must follow the club’s line regarding injuries. The news website UOL reported that those close to Neymar were believed to want him to have an operation in Brazil.

– Words of support –

As the star’s fate is being worked out, messages of support were flooding social networks. 

Brazilian football legend Pele — whose mantle Neymar is seen inheriting — tweeted: “Hey Neymar, all of Brazil hopes you will recover as quickly as last time! We have a World Cup to win, so get better fast!”

There was also a poignant little Instagram post from his TV actress girlfriend Bruna Marquezine: “I love you and miss you.”

Famous former striker Ronaldo put forth on Globo TV to draw on his experience as a player hit with injury before a World Cup. 

“It’s a shame that happened now. No recovery is easy. But I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to come back in form,” Ronaldo said.

“It’s not a serious injury. There’s no danger of him not playing in the World Cup.”

For Carlos Eduardo Mansur, commentator in the newspaper O Globo, “Neymar’s injury is not a tragedy because he’ll have the time to recover and maybe even go to the World Cup fresher, but it’s bad news for (Brazil national team manager) Tite, for whom the friendly matches in March were fundamental.”

Due to the uncertainty thrown up by when Neymar and other players will be available, the Brazilian football federation has delayed naming its squad for friendlies against Russia and Germany in late March by 10 days.

The last time the Selecao confronted Germany, Neymar was also injured. That was in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals, when Brazil suffered its most humiliating defeat: a 7-1 loss on home ground.

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Hummels slams Lewandowski’s ‘attitude’ in training bust-up

Berlin (AFP) – Mats Hummels accused his Bayern Munich team-mate Robert Lewandowski of an ‘attitude’ problem in a training ground bust-up on Wednesday, according to reports.

Bayern are 19 points clear in the Bundesliga table, but tensions often run high in the star-studded squad for starting places.

Temperatures in Munich were well below freezing at Bayern’s Saebener Strasse training ground during the angry exchange.

According to German daily Bild, who have a reporter at Bayern training sessions, Hummels and Lewandowski traded insults in a practise game.

When Lewandowski briefly paused to tie his laces, allowing the opposing team to score, Hummels ripped into the Poland star, a team-mate in the exercise, sparking a war of words.

“Lewy, are you serious? You’re seriously tying your shoes? Holy shit!,” yelled Hummels, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany.

Lewandowski fired back, “you just lost the ball,” to which Hummels replied: “that was a mistake, but with you it’s an attitude.”

The pair squared off with Lewandowski retorting “you constantly lose the ball, you’re just talk” and Hummels snapped back “Oh shut up, get lost”.

Neither offered to apologise and when the practise game ended, the pair ignored each other.

Bayern have a tricky away league game on Sunday at Freiburg, who are unbeaten in their last six matches at the Schwarzwald Stadion.

Freiburg’s ex-Bayern striker Nils Petersen has 12 goals this season, second only to Lewandowski, who has 20 in the Bundesliga, in the league’s current top scorers.

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el Clásico date and kickoff time confirmed for Barcelona-Real Madrid encounter

The date and kickoff time for the first el Clásico of 2018 between Barcelona and Real Madrid has been finalized. The two giant Spanish clubs will face each other on Sunday, May 6 with a 2:45pm ET kickoff.

For soccer fans in the United States, the only place to watch it on television will be beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Espanol. And the later kickoff time will be ideal to give the Miami-based sports TV network a huge boost. In December, beIN SPORTS’ broadcast of el Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona was always going to be a struggle due to the exceptionally early kickoff time of 7am ET/4pm PT. The December 23 game averaged 845,000 viewers in the United States across the English-language beIN SPORTS and Spanish-language beIN SPORTS en Español networks.

While a later kickoff time will be welcomed, the challenge for beIN SPORTS is that Barcelona is running away with the title in Spain. The club is currently 14 points ahead of Real Madrid.

Still, whenever Barcelona and Real Madrid play each other, it’s always a battle both on and off the pitch.

SEE MORE: Schedule of La Liga games on US TV and streaming

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Germany’s civil servants hit back at Dortmund boss Zorc

Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s civil servants fired back on Wednesday after Borussia Dortmund boss Michael Zorc accused his team of playing like a bunch of bureaucrats.

“You played like civil servants!” Zorc told the Dortmund squad which passively threw away the lead in Monday’s 1-1 league draw at home to Augsburg.

Dortmund striker Michy Batshuayi, on loan from Chelsea, failed to score for the third match in a row as Marco Reus’s opening goal was cancelled out by Kevin Danso’s equaliser for Augsburg.

Zorc, Dortmund’s director of sport took umbrage at the performance, but Germany’s Civil Servants Union (DBB) were less impressed with his insult.

“A successful team needs a broader idea and suitable staff structure, every junior executive in public service knows that,” the DBB told Sky.

“Perhaps Mr Zorc should think before he makes such a nonsensical comparison.”

Dortmund are second in Germany’s top flight, but lag 19 points behind runaway league leaders Bayern Munich.

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Premier League still the greatest prize for Guardiola

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted the Premier League title is the most important trophy for his team to win this season, ahead of even potential Champions League success.

The runaway Premier League leaders already have one piece of silverware in the bag, after winning the English League Cup Final in convincing fashion against Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday.

But, as he prepared to face the same side in a league game at the Emirates, Guardiola is far more interested in the six victories that will make the English title a mathematical certainty for City.

“We are fighting for the most important title of the season by far, the Premier League,” Guardiola told a news conference on Tuesday. “More important than the Champions League, more important than the FA Cup, Carabao (league) Cup. That is enough encouragement to be focused.

“The next six fixtures are terrible in terms of quality of the opponents, and we have four games away and we still have to win six games.

“When you think about Arsenal, you think about Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal and our away games — Stoke City playing (to avoid) relegation, going to Goodison Park (Everton) is always a tough game. We have a lot of tough games still to play and have to remain focused.”

The Catalan coach has won a total of six titles to date in his productive managerial career — three in Spain with Barcelona and the same number of German league championships with Bayern Munich.

– ‘Consistency’ –

Now on course for his seventh title in nine years of management in Europe’s top divisions, Guardiola has no doubt where his priorities lie.

“The league is always the most difficult, a game every three days,” he said. “It shows how good you are over 11 months. 

“All the titles I have won, La Liga, Bundesliga, the league is the most difficult. 

“In the Carabao Cup we won two penalty (shoot-out) rounds, Claudio Bravo saved them or you could be out. That is a toss of a coin, sometimes good, sometimes bad. 

“The league is consistency, the players know that. They know exactly how important the league is for this club, for our futures. Of course we have to be focused, we know how tough it will be until the end of the season.”

Meanwhile, Guardiola insisted he was happy to talk to the Football Association after his highly-publicised charge relating to wearing a yellow ribbon during Manchester City’s recent FA Cup defeat at third-tier Wigan Athletic.

The 47-year-old was displaying the ribbon in support of four Catalans imprisoned in his homeland over issues relating to Catalan independence.

Having issued Guardiola with two formal warnings in December, the FA have  charged him with “wearing a political message”, although the City manager insists that, while he has yet to have direct contact with the authorities, he would be happy to talk to them.

– ‘Belonging’ –

“Of course I’m going to write a letter, explain my position,” he said. “I’m available for the FA absolutely, it’s no problem.”

Guardiola also thanked City fans, some of whom wore yellow ribbons in support of their manager at Wembley in the Carabao Cup Final.

“It was a feeling of belonging, so I’m grateful for that initiative,” he said. “They don’t have to do it because it is another country but they did it. 

“That makes me happy, really happy because it helps people understand the situation, what’s going on with people in prison in Spain. I’m 100 percent grateful to them.”

Guardiola will be without the injured Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling for Thursday’s visit to Arsenal, although he expects the latter to be available for Sunday’s home game with Chelsea or the Champions League return leg with Basel next week.

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Nothing compares to winning the World Cup – Lippi

Milan (AFP) – China coach Marcello Lippi said Wednesday that nothing compares to lifting the World Cup as Italy coach in 2006.

“Champions League or World Cup? I won every cup going with Juventus, but none of them compare to a World Cup in Azzurro,” Lippi told Corriere della Sera.

Lippi, who turns 70 years in April, led Juventus to five Serie A titles the Champions League title in 1996.

He took over Italy in 2004 and guided them to a fourth World Cup in Germany despite the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal overshadowing preparations.

“The team’s psychological situation was fantastic,” Lippi said. 

“There was exceptional conviction and self-esteem. After that, what happened with Calciopoli happened, but it didn’t affect us.”

Lippi did not renew his Italy contract after the World Cup triumph but returned for a second two-year stint from 2008 to 2010.

“Now it’s important to rebuild a football federation,” he said of Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

“Should (Gianluigi) Buffon stay on? Let’s leave that to him,” he added.

Lippi moved to China in 2012 and led Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande to three league titles before announcing his retirement, only to return as the Chinese national football team coach in 2016.

Lippi said he had been surprised by Asian investment in the Italian league with Inter Milan and AC Milan now under Chinese ownership.

“At first I thought they were interested in growing football, but never that they would buy companies abroad.

“(Inter Milan owner) Zhang (Jindong) and Suning (Group), I know them, (AC Milan owner) Yonghong Li, I had never heard of him before.”

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World Cup coaches brace for ‘modern life’ of VAR

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – World Cup coaches expressed a quiet confidence on Wednesday about Video Assistant Referee technology ahead of its likely adoption for this year’s showpiece event in Russia.

Representatives from the 32 teams to have qualified for the World Cup gathered in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for a briefing on how “modern life” was taking over the beautiful game.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is expected to be given the green light by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), when the body that determines the laws of the game meets on Saturday.

VAR has been heavily promoted by world football’s governing body FIFA, despite its implementation this season in leading leagues such as the German Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A not convincing everyone.

Earlier this week, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said European football’s governing body would not introduce VAR in next season’s Champions League due to ongoing “confusion” surrounding its use.

But coaches emerging from the Sochi meeting said they were ready to ring in the changes — even if the system had not ironed out all the kinks.

“This is the new life. This is modern life,” said Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz.

“It is obvious that football cannot go on with its eyes closed to the modern world.”

– Referee mistakes –

VAR can only be used when there is doubt surrounding any of four key game-changing situations: after a goal, penalty decisions, after a straight red card or in cases of mistaken identity.

Two of the top complaints have involved VAR either being used too often and slowing down the game or — conversely — not being called on in decisive moments.

One case in England — where VAR has been trialled in the FA Cup — saw the referee given a different picture from the one shown to confused fans on television.

Some head coaches said Russia will be something of a test case about which it was premature to pass judgement.

“It’s something to improve football, we suppose,” said Uruguay’s assistant coach Celso Otero.

“I think VAR will be approved and then we will evaluate it.”

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said FIFA’s refereeing department chief Massimo Busacca assured sceptics at Wednesday’s meeting that video replays produced fairer outcomes.

Busacca said “it was very important for the referee to make less mistakes to have the video assistant,” Rohr told AFP.

“VAR is coming to eliminate mistakes by the referee. It’s actually something that makes the game fair,” Saudi Arabia’s assistant coach Manuel Suarez agreed.

England in particular have had famous run-ins with disputed goals at the World Cup.

Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” saw Argentina through in 1986 while Germans are still smarting about a goal that helped England win their only World Cup in 1966. 

Some coaches agreed that resorting to replays could result in match interruptions that break up a team’s rhythm and momentum.

“It might slow down a little bit the play,” said Egypt assistant coach Jose Fantaguzzi.

“But in general, the technology is very important for the time being.”

Yet Fantaguzzi also admitted that his squad was a little bit anxious about how it will all turn out.

“A little bit, but not that much,” Fantaguzzi said with a laugh. “We are just ready to follow the rules and prepare.”

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Conte, Mancini and or Di Biagio on Italy coach shortlist

Florence (Italy) (AFP) – Italy’s new coach will be Antonio Conte or Roberto Mancini or Luigi Di Biagio, Italian federation vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta said on Wednesday.

“We plan on appointing the new coach by June. Conte, Mancini or Di Biagio? These are the names, it won’t be anyone else,” said Costacurta at Italy’s Coverciano training camp outside Florence.

Former AC Milan star Costacurta has been given the task of finding a replacement for Gian Piero Ventura, who was sacked after Italy’s World Cup exit.

All three are former Italian international players. Costacurta did not mention former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, who has said he would leave French club Nantes if offered the Italy job.

Conte, 48, coached Italy from 2014 to the quarter-finals of the 2016 European Championship before taking over at Chelsea.

“I never said I preferred Conte,” continued Costacurta, who had said in an interview this week the Chelsea boss was the number one choice.

“I only said that having already worked with the national team, he has the right characteristics.

“Given we don’t have any outstanding talents at the moment, we need a very good coach, and the names I’ve mentioned are good coaches.”

Zenit Saint Petersburg coach Mancini, 53, has said he wants the job to fulfil his dream of winning the World Cup.

Mancini has won silverware with all clubs he has managed. He led Manchester City in 2012 to their first English title in 44 years, and won three Serie A titles with Inter Milan and Italian Cups with Inter, Fiorentina and Lazio, and a Turkish Cup with Galatasary.

Italy Under-21 coach Di Biagio, 46, a former Roma and Inter Milan defensive midfielder, has little coaching experience and has been appointed as interim national coach for friendlies against Argentina and England next month.

Costacurta added that he agreed with Di Biagio, who wants to call up Italy goalkeeping icon Gianluigi Buffon, 40, for the friendlies.

“I agree with Buffon’s final contribution for Italy not being that evening against Sweden,” he added of Buffon’s decision to retire after Italy lost two World Cup play-offs.

“We gave Di Biagio the chance of choosing what he thinks is best for these two friendlies.”

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FOX gears up for World Cup with films and ad campaign

FOX Sports is beginning to gear up for its coverage of 2018 FIFA World Cup with a series of films as well as a soon-to-be-released advertising campaign that will emphasize the most marketable stars in the United States featuring Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo and Chicharito.

The advertising campaign, entitled The World Becomes The World Cup, is expected to be unveiled in early March. In addition to promoting its unprecedented coverage from Russia, which will include more than 350 hours of programming, FOX Sports plans to emphasize how it’ll feature the iconic players, the best teams in the world and most compelling storylines.

Just as ESPN has done in the past with their World Cup documentaries and films, FOX Sports will be copying ESPN’s playbook by broadcasting a film entitled Nossa Chape about the Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense’s tragic 2016 plane crash in Colombia. Created by filmmakers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist (best known for their work on The Two Escobars), FOX Sports will debut the film on US television in the run-up to the World Cup, which begins June 14.

SEE MORE: World Cup TV schedule for US TV and streaming

FOX will also launch PHENOMS, a documentary series chronicling the journey of the next generation of hopeful World Cup stars on their quests to represent their countries this summer. One of the executive producers on the documentary is none other than FOX Sports analyst Mario Melchiot.

Release dates for the PHENOMS and Nossa Chape films have not been finalized as of press time.

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Matic predicts bright future for Man Utd’s McTominay

London (AFP) – Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic is predicting a bright future for the “amazing” Scott McTominay, who has forced his way into Jose Mourinho’s first team despite fierce competition for places.

McTominay’s selection ahead of club-record signing Paul Pogba for last week’s Champions League clash at Sevilla underlined Mourinho’s trust in the player and he was also handed a starting role in Sunday’s 2-1 comeback win against Chelsea.

The 21-year-old’s performances have seen him shortlisted alongside David De Gea and Romelu Lukaku for United’s player of the month award, as well as earning admiration from team-mates.

“He is amazing,” Matic said after United’s victory against Chelsea, when McTominay made just the 10th competitive start of his career.

“He is 21 and to play like that and control the game like that is impressive. He will be a big player for Manchester United.

“I like him because he is a very nice guy and he doesn’t have a problem to ask before the game something and I am always there to help him.

“When I came to Manchester I saw within a few days he would become a top player.”

McTominay’s rise could lead to an international tug of war between England and Scotland. He has not represented either nation at any level.

A late developer who has rocketed to 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 metres)in recent years, the midfielder has retained his ability on the ball and has impressed team-mates such as Chris Smalling from the outset.

“He’s been training with us for quite a while, even last season,” the United defender said. “But he’s been sort of thrust into some big games, be it Seville or here, and he’s not phased.

“You can see him crunching into tackles and that’s what we do in training. He goes through people. It’s good that he’s stepped up to his mark.”

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Van Gaal rules out Bayern return while Hoeness is president

Berlin (AFP) – Louis van Gaal has ruled out returning to Bayern Munich and succeeding Jupp Heynckes — as long as Uli Hoeness remains club president.

Bayern are 19 points clear in the Bundesliga table and in the hunt for the treble of European, German league and cup titles.

However, Bayern’s current head coach Heynckes, 72, has repeatedly said he will quit at the end of the season.

The search is on to replace him and Van Gaal, currently without a club, would be an obvious candidate.

The 66-year-old has won 20 club titles in his career, most recently the 2016 FA Cup in a two-year stint at Manchester United.

He coached Bayern from 2009-11, losing the 2010 Champions League final, but winning the Bundesliga and German Cup titles only to be sacked the following season.

The Dutchman says he “loves” Bayern, but ruled out returning.

“I have always gone back, whether it was to Barcelona, the national Dutch team, AZ Alkmaar, but returning to Bayern? – I can’t imagine that,” Van Gaal told magazine Sport Bild.

“As long as Uli Hoeness is at the club, I won’t work there.”

Van Gaal was dismissed in April 2011 when Bayern slipped out of the German league’s top three —  the Champions League places at the time.

The Dutchman lifted the lid on working under Hoeness.

“Uli Hoeness has cultivated special relationships with certain players and campaigns for their interests,” Van Gaal explained.

“Like (Franck) Ribery, who according to Mr Hoeness, should always play.

“In my opinion, that’s not good for the work of a coach.

“The team is important and not the individual players – in this regard Hoeness and I differ.

“After one conversation (with Hoeness) my wife told me I should quit FC Bayern.

“I kept working there because I love the club.

– Never give up –

“The German mentality is also my mentality.

“Hard training, fight until the end, never give up – the job was made for me.”

Van Gaal says Hoeness would criticise him for blooding current stars, like Thomas Mueller and David Alaba who were inexperienced at the time.

“I would always select Thomas Mueller (early in his career) and Hoeness would tell my wife in the VIP lounge ‘your husband has picked the wrong team again!’,” said Van Gaal.

“Same with David Alaba.

“He made a mistake in the last minute of a game which led to my dismissal.

“Now he is one of the biggest talents Bayern has.”

The Dutch disciplinarian confirmed two legends from his turbulent times at Bayern.

He admits once pulling striker Luca Toni by the ear for slouching during a meal – “it was disrespectful to his team-mates and me”.

He also hints that he pulled down his underwear in the dressing room, after defeat at Mainz, to show his stars he “had the balls” to drop them.

“What happened with my players behind closed doors should remain so, but anyone who knows me also knows it could have happened. I am emotional,” said Van Gaal.

Despite his personality clash with Hoeness, Van Gaal talked of his affection for Bayern.

“Manchester United, the last team I coached, are a commercial club, Bayern are totally different,” he said.

“The bosses, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness, are former players who know what they are talking about.

“For them, football is the most important thing, not money, like it is at United.

“That’s why I love FC Bayern.” 

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Where to find Flamengo vs. River Plate Copa Libertadores on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Flamengo vs. River Plate in the Copa Libertadores, you’ve come to the right place.

During the first gameweek of the Copa Libertadores Group Stage, Brazil’s classic club Flamengo takes on Argentina’s River Plate in what should be a very intense game in South America.

Match: Flamengo vs. River Plate

Kickoff: Wednesday, 7:45pm ET

Looking to watch Flamengo vs. River Plate online from your work, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:
US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it on television and via legal streaming:

Who: Flamengo vs. River Plate
What: Copa Libertadores, Group Stage, matchday 1
When: Game kicks off at 7:45pm ET / 4:45pm PT; Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Where: Live on FOX Deportes, Fanatiz and fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

With fubo Premier, you can watch Flamengo vs. River Plate and tons more Copa Libertadores games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV or hook it up to your TV with Google Chromecast.

Now with fubo Premier, you can stream NBCSN, FS1, FS2 as well as beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, beIN SPORTS Connect, NBC (in select cities), CNBC, USA, FOX (in select cities), FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports Net, Telemundo, Univision, Univision Deportes, UniMas, Eleven Sports, CBS, CSN and YES.

Plus fubo Premier, the legal streaming service, also streams Serie A, La Liga, Liga MX, World Cup 18/22/26, Women’s World Cup 2019, MLS, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, Primeira Liga, Ligue Un, World Cup qualifiers, NASL, CONCACAF Champions League, Bundesliga, select USMNT games, select USWNT games, select Mexico games, select England games and Euro 2020 qualifiers.

The fubo Premier app is available for Windows PC, Mac, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple TV, Android smartphones, Android tablets, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Kindle.

 

Here are the steps to take to watch the Flamengo vs. River Plate game with your free fuboTV trial:

1. Click on this link for the fuboTV 7-day trial.

2. Click on the red ‘Start for free’ button (see screengrab below)

3. On the login page, enter your e-mail address to sign up (or you can use your Facebook or Google logins) (see screengrab below)

4. After entering your login details and signing up for the free trial, you’ll be taken to the fuboTV main screen (see screengrab below)

5. From here, you can either scroll down the page to see the TV listings which include the Flamengo vs. River Plate game (see screengrab below)

6. Or you can click on the ‘Guide’ button at the top to see all of the channels available to you, which will include FOX Deportes featuring Flamengo vs. River Plate (see screengrab below)

SEE MORE: Schedule of Copa Libertadores games on US TV and streaming

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Wenger ‘amazed’ at speculation over Arsenal future

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger on Wednesday said he was “amazed” at fresh speculation over his future as he prepares his team to face Manchester City just days after Arsenal’s League Cup final humiliation against Pep Guardiola’s men.

The Frenchman has come under sustained fire since an abject display in Sunday’s 3-0 hammering at Wembley but must now lift his team to take on the Premier League leaders on Thursday.

Arsenal’s season is threatening to unravel — they are 10 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table and look set to miss out on Champions League football for a second consecutive year.

They are out of the FA Cup and will face Italian giants AC Milan in the last 16 of the Europa League, which is their only remaining chance of winning a trophy this season.

Arsenal’s limp display led to stinging criticism from former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville as well as former Gunners Ian Wright and Thierry Henry.

But Wenger, speaking at his pre-match press conference, responded with apparent shock when asked if the result meant his long tenure was now under increased threat.

“I am just amazed that I have to always answer things that are exactly the same,” said the 68-year-old.

“I am here for 21 years, I turned the whole world down to respect my contracts. So I am still amazed that I still have to answer these types of questions.

“My position is my position. Honestly, that’s the last worry I have at the moment. My worry is to focus, to get the team ready for tomorrow’s game.”

The Frenchman defended the performance of his players at Wembley, where several were labelled as “spineless” and a “disgrace” by match commentator Neville as they were shown walking when out of possession.

“You can always get out pictures from a game that justifies what you think, you find in every single game, on both sides, moments where a player doesn’t track,” he said.

“After you have to analyse why, has he made two runs before to go in behind and was exhausted, or did he not track because he didn’t want to? That is different.

“I believe we have to live with that criticism and respond together like we always do.

“We didn’t play against a poor team in the semi-final, we played against Chelsea and we have shown that we can fight. You have to acknowledge as well that Man City are a quality team.”

Wenger’s hopes of avenging the Wembley defeat have been further hit by the announcement that Nacho Monreal will miss the game through injury.

The 32-year-old defender had been one of Arsenal’s better performers this season before a back injury forced him off less than half an hour into Sunday’s final.

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Neymar faces ‘at least six weeks out’, set to miss Real clash

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain’s hopes of getting Neymar back for their crunch Champions League clash against Real Madrid next week look to be over after the Brazilian’s father claimed the player would be out for “at least six weeks”.

Speaking to ESPN in Brazil on Tuesday, Neymar Senior said: “PSG know that they will not be able to count on Neymar for the upcoming matches: his treatment will last six to eight weeks, whether there is an operation or not.” 

That was after PSG coach Unai Emery claimed earlier that “no decision” had been taken on whether Neymar would require surgery and that there remained a “small chance” of getting the world’s most expensive player back in time to face Real next Tuesday, March 6.

Tests confirmed that Neymar suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot as well as a twisted ankle late in PSG’s 3-0 win over Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

He appeared to be in tears as he was stretchered off the field at the Parc des Princes, immediately raising fears that the 26-year-old could miss the Champions League last 16, second leg against Madrid.

PSG lost 3-1 in the first leg in Spain two weeks ago and are in danger of being knocked out of the competition in the last 16 for the second season running.

Brazilian newspaper Globo Esporte had claimed Neymar would undergo surgery, and that the former Barcelona player would be sidelined until May.

If his father’s estimate is correct, Neymar would not return before the semi-final stage of the Champions League in late April.

On the possibility of rushing Neymar back for the Real second leg, experts say that PSG would be taking a huge risk, possibly even jeopardising Neymar’s participation at the World Cup in Russia in June and July.

“It would be very risky as it’s a fragile bone in the foot which is difficult to protect,” Jean-Marcel Ferret, a former doctor with the French national team, told AFP.

“(Playing against Real) could compromise the rest of his season.”

In the meantime, PSG are preparing to do without Neymar for Wednesday’s French Cup quarter-final at home to Marseille, the second meeting of the clubs in four days.

Argentine star Angel di Maria should replace the Brazilian at the Parc des Princes, with PSG hoping to stay on course to win the French Cup for the fourth season running.

Neymar has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for PSG since his 222 million-euro ($264 million) move from Barcelona last August.

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Scottish Premiership matches postponed by icy weather

Glasgow (AFP) – Scottish football chiefs have postponed all three Premiership games scheduled for Wednesday including Celtic’s home match due to heavy snowfall.

League leaders Celtic were due to host Dundee, Hibernian and Hamilton were scheduled to meet in Edinburgh and Aberdeen were set to travel to Motherwell.

“Due to the severe weather, tonight’s games in the Ladbrokes Premiership have been postponed,” the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) tweeted.

Europe is in the grip of a blast of Siberian weather, which has killed at least 24 people.

An amber weather warning is in place for much of Scotland with frequent and heavy snow showers expected and police are advising people not to travel.

A statement on the SPFL website read: “Following consultation and advice received from the clubs involved, Police Scotland and Traffic Scotland, the SPFL has decided to postpone this evening’s games in the interests of safety.

“New dates for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixtures will be confirmed in due course.”

Second-placed Rangers beat St Johnstone 4-1 on Tuesday to close the gap on Old Firm rivals Celtic to six points.

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Wenger tightlipped on Arsenal future

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger on Wednesday refused to confirm whether he will be in charge at Arsenal next season as he prepares for a match against Manchester City just days after their League Cup humiliation against Pep Guardiola’s team.

The Frenchman has come under fire from Gunners fans since an abject display in Sunday’s 3-0 hammering at Wembley.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s match against the Premier League leaders, Wenger said: “Does it stop you to sleep that my position is uncertain or certain? No. What is important in football is the game. All the rest makes headlines but it is not interesting.

“I’m just amazed I’m always to answer things that are the same. I turned the whole world down to respect my contract.”

On the Wembley defeat, Wenger said: “I’m quite amazed at how people analyse (the cup final) it looks like we lost against a team in division five — we lost against a team that dominates English football at the moment. We have to take a bit of perspective.”

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was highly critical of Arsenal’s cup final display, labelling it “absolutely spineless”.

Wenger responded: “I’m long enough in the game to know when you lose a big game people say the players don’t want it enough. You have to analyse if that is a serious problem. I am not convinced. For me, it is not the main reason.

“You can always get out pictures in a game to justify what you think. I believe that we have to live with that criticism and respond together like we always do.”

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Guardiola’s Manchester City a painful reminder of Arsenal’s past

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger faces the might of Manchester City for the second time in five days on Thursday as the Gunners seek salvation after an abject display in losing the League Cup final 3-0.

City’s victory on Sunday delivered the first trophy of the Pep Guardiola era and underlined the sense that the two clubs are on radically different trajectories.

Guardiola’s men also enjoy a 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League and are virtually assured of their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, thanks to a 4-0 last-16, first-leg win in Basel.

Arsenal, by contrast, face a huge challenge just to make it back into the Champions League next season. Sixth in the league, they trail north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, in fourth place, by 10 points.

Even the emergency route of a Champions League return via winning the Europa League looks a big ask after Arsenal were paired with Italian giants AC Milan in the last 16.

What is galling for Wenger and Arsenal is that in many ways Guardiola is the modern-day incarnation of what the Frenchman used to be in his first decade at the club.

Wenger’s early years married attractive, aggressive football with a winning culture. While some of the frills to Arsenal’s football have remained in the second half of his 22-year reign, the club have failed consistently to challenge for the biggest prizes.

“This development of mediocrity has to be arrested,” Arsenal’s second-highest goalscorer of all time, Ian Wright, who played under Wenger, told BBC radio.

Guardiola shares Wenger’s ideals of how the game should be played and has spoken glowingly of his admiration for his counterpart’s longevity.

“I would have liked to have played for him,” said Guardiola ahead of Sunday’s final.

“He likes one type of player, with quality and respect for the ball. They are things I like a lot, so if people say we play a little bit like Arsenal of the last 20 years then it’s good for us.”

– Serial winner –

The difference is that Guardiola is a serial winner, lifting 21 trophies in his first seven years of senior management with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

He has shone after the first season of his career without silverware in his debut campaign at City in 2016-17.

Rather than abandon his principles, the Catalan has doubled down on the passing and pressing game he made famous at Barcelona to create the spectacle and success for which he was lured to Manchester by the club’s cash-rich Abu-Dhabi owners in the first place.

Wenger, by contrast, despite an enviable record of success in the FA Cup in recent years, has failed to arrest his side’s general slide from the pinnacle of the English game. 

Guardiola has also demonstrated a far shrewder sense of timing than Wenger in knowing when to walk away.

He left his boyhood club in Barca as their most successful coach because the intense demands of four seasons in the job had taken their toll. 

Likewise, his time at Bayern never seemed likely to extend beyond the initial three-year contract he signed despite winning three straight Bundesliga titles.

“No chance,” Guardiola responded at the thought of matching Wenger’s two-decade long stay at City. “That is not going to happen because I am not going to train in 20 years more.”

Wenger’s desperation to hold on to recreate his glory days means it is increasingly likely he will be edged towards the exit door before he walks come the end of the season.

City will fall short of one of Wenger’s greatest achievements. Defeat at Liverpool last month means they cannot go a full Premier League season unbeaten as Arsenal did in their last title-winning campaign of 2003-04.

“Arsene’s record belongs to him, we are not going to break it — he has to be calm,” said Guardiola earlier in the campaign.

It may be the only thing remaining that Wenger holds over English football’s new dominant power.

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