Schedule of soccer matches and shows on TV this weekend: May 1-3

 

Friday, May 1

FC Juarez vs. Santos Laguna (eLiga MX), 4pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

Puebla vs. Toluca (eLiga MX), 9pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

Atlas vs. Pachuca (eLiga MX), 10pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

 

Saturday, May 2

PL 100 – David James, 6am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

PL 100 – Andy Cole, 6:30am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

PL 100 – Darren Bent, 7am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Everton vs. Wolverhampton (Rerun from September 1, 2019), 7:30am, Universo and fuboTV (free trial)

PL 100 – Robbie Fowler, 7:30am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Goals of the Season 2009-10, 8am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Goals of the Season 2010-11, 9am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Burnley vs. Liverpool (Rerun from August 31, 2019), 10am, Universo and fuboTV (free trial)

Premier League Classic Match: Tottenham v. Chelsea (March 19, 2008), 10am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Classic Match: Arsenal v. Manchester United (Nov. 9, 1997), 10:30am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Classic Match: Leicester City v. Arsenal (Aug. 27, 1997), 11am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Classic Match: Everton v. Wimbledon (May 7, 1994), 11:30am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Bournemouth vs. Chelsea (Rerun from February 29, 2020), 12:30pm, Universo and fuboTV (free trial)

Premier League Match of the Week: Manchester City v. Queens Park Rangers (May 13, 2012), 1pm, NBC, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Leon vs. Necaxa (eLiga MX), 2pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

Cruz Azul vs. Tigres (eLiga MX), 3pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

 

Sunday, May 3

Premier League Season in Review 2006-07, 6am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Season in Review 2007-08, 7am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Match of the Week: Tottenham v. Chelsea (Oct. 20, 2012), 8am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Premier League Match of the Week: Arsenal v. Liverpool (April 4, 2015), 10am, NBCSN, fuboTV, Hulu Live, Sling Blue and AT&T TV (free trial)

Aston Villa vs. Manchester City (Rerun from January 12, 2020), 11am, Telemundo and fuboTV (free trial)

Tottenham vs. Chelsea (Rerun from December 22, 2019), 1:30pm, Telemundo and fuboTV (free trial)

UNAM vs. Monarcas Morelia (eLiga MX), 3pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

FOX Indoor Soccer, 6:30pm, FS1, Sling Blue, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, AT&T TV and fuboTV (free trial)

eMLS Tournament Special, 7pm, FS1, FOX Deportes, Sling Blue, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, AT&T TV and fuboTV (free trial)

Queretaro vs. San Luis (eLiga MX), 8pm, TUDN and fuboTV (free trial)

FOX Indoor Soccer, 9pm, FS1, Sling Blue, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, AT&T TV and fuboTV (free trial)

D.C. United vs. L.A. Galaxy (Rerun from Oct. 20, 1996), 9:30pm, FS1, Sling Blue, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, AT&T TV and fuboTV (free trial)

Atlanta United vs. Portland Timbers (Rerun from Dec. 8, 2018), 11:30pm, FS1, Sling Blue, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, AT&T TV and fuboTV (free trial)

 

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Lyon ‘reserve right’ to appeal no European qualification

Lyon (AFP) – Lyon, who have reached this season’s Champions League last 16 but are set to miss out on next year’s European competitions with the French league campaign declared over, said on Thursday they could challenge the decision.

Earlier, Ligue 1’s standings were confirmed with the seven-time title winners finishing in seventh position, outside the continental berths.

Doubt remains about the possibility of holding this season’s League Cup final with Lyon set to face top-flight champions Paris Saint-Germain, with victory offering qualification for the Europa League.

“Lyon reserve the possibility of trying to appeal against this decision and claiming damages and interest,” the club said in a statement.

Outspoken president Jean-Michel Aulas said the club would be hit financially if they missed out on Champions League or Europa League participation.

“It’s significant loss of a chance. The losses for the club will come to several million euros,” he told AFP and newspaper Le Progres.

Lyon hold a 1-0 first leg lead over Serie A champions Juventus in this season’s Champions League last 16.

UEFA’s medical committee said on Wednesday it believed restarting the season would be possible.

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Brighton’s Murray labels Premier League masks ‘farcical’

London (AFP) – Brighton striker Glenn Murray has described as “farcical” a proposal that Premier League players should wear face masks to combat the coronavirus when they return to training.

Premier League chiefs hope to restart the season in June and teams are reportedly expecting full training to resume in mid-May.

Several clubs, including Brighton, have opened their training facilities to players this week for individual sessions that follow social-distancing guidelines.

But players will need to come into closer contact with each other once they are preparing for matches and reports this week said the Premier League could ask them to wear protective masks during practice sessions.

“We have got to look at the Premier League as the global brand it is and the reason it is that big is because of the quality of the players that are in it,” Murray said.

“To be hindering ourselves with face masks is going to be off-putting, it is not going to be natural, people will be ripping them off in games. It is quite farcical.”

Murray is frustrated by the rush to return to action at a time when the French and Dutch campaigns have been abandoned.

While he would like to finish the Premier League season, the 36-year-old has concerns about doing it too soon.

“There will be ambulances at training and games. Is it fair to take those from the NHS (National Health Service)? I don’t know,” he said.

Murray is also unhappy that players could be put at risk.

“We are not talking about guys in one community, we are talking about guys from all over the world who could be possibly carrying the disease,” he said. “There are so many caveats.”

The possibility of playing the remaining games at neutral venues is likely to be presented to Premier League clubs at a meeting on Friday, but Murray does not agree with the idea.

“I am hoping that it doesn’t come that scenario,” he said. “That is far-fetched, to spend eight weeks away from your family is quite a big ask.”

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PSG awarded Ligue 1 title as French football season declared over

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain were named as Ligue 1 champions on Thursday after France’s football league declared the coronavirus-hit season over.

PSG led the table by 12 points from Marseille when the season was suspended in mid-March because of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has gone on to kill over 24,000 people in France.

The announcement by the LFP comes after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday that “professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart” because of the pandemic.

“There is no ambiguity about this declaration. We needed to make a final decision about this season. We acknowledge that the 2019-20 season is over,” said LFP president Nathalie Boy de la Tour, in a conference call with reporters.

France becomes the biggest European league yet to end its season, just as its neighbours in England, Germany, Italy and Spain consider ways of resuming matches.

Ruling out any possibility of copying the Netherlands, who voided their season without a champion, relegation or promotion, the LFP arranged a final table on the basis of average points per game.

Ten rounds of matches remained when the campaign was halted, although PSG and Strasbourg both had a game in hand.

As a result, PSG are champions with an average of 2.52 points per game, with Andre Villas-Boas’s Marseille second with an average of 2 points and qualifying for the Champions League.

– Title dedicated to health workers –

“We wish to dedicate this title to all health workers and other everyday heroes whose commitment and self-sacrifice throughout these long weeks deserve our admiration,” said PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi in a statement.

It is PSG’s ninth French title, the seventh in eight seasons for the Qatar-owned club being awarded in unique circumstances and with many of their foreign players — including Neymar — having returned to their home countries with France under strict lockdown.

“We understand, respect and support the decisions taken by the French government to stop the season. Health, as the government has always said, must be everyone’s priority,” added Al-Khelaifi, whose club still hope to be able to continue their Champions League campaign having reached the quarter-finals before action stopped.

Rennes finish third and also qualify for the Champions League, while fourth-placed Lille will play in the Europa League.

– Economic consequences –

Toulouse and Amiens, the bottom two, are condemned to relegation, with Lorient, as champions, and Lens coming up from Ligue 2.

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Premier League lobbied US over Saudi piracy claims

London (AFP) – The Premier League wrote to the US government in February urging it to keep Saudi Arabia on a watchlist because it said the country “remained a centre for piracy”.

The revelation comes as the league considers a takeover of Newcastle which would reportedly involve the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) taking an 80 percent stake in the club.

Prospective new owners must pass the Premier League’s owners and directors’ test, one strand of which relates to criminal activity.

The league has come under pressure from rights group Amnesty International and the fiancee of murdered dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi to block the takeover due to Saudi Arabia’s poor record on human rights.

The Premier League’s actions in relation to the takeover are also under scrutiny because it has previously been a critic of pirate broadcaster beoutQ, which operates out of Saudi Arabia.

Qatar-based BeIN accuses Saudi of masterminding the pirate broadcasting of BeIN output, which includes Premier League games, as part of a spat between Doha and Riyadh. The Saudis deny the claims.

In a letter from the league to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) dated February 5 of this year, the Premier League complain about a “failure to take action” against the pirates by the Saudi government itself.

“Saudi Arabia remains a centre of piracy, impacting rights-holders from around the world,” the league’s letter added.

“In view of this long-standing situation, the Premier League respectfully requests that USTR maintain Saudi Arabia’s position on the Priority Watch List.”

The USTR has kept Saudi Arabia on its watch list and confirmed in a report published on Wednesday: “The United States continues to remain concerned about reportedly high levels of online piracy in Saudi Arabia.”

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French football season declared over, PSG awarded title

Paris (AFP) – France’s football league declared the season over on Thursday, with Paris Saint-Germain named as Ligue 1 champions.

PSG led the table by 12 points from Marseille when the season was suspended in mid-March because of the coronavirus outbreak, which has gone on to kill more than 24,000 people in France.

The announcement by the LFP comes after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday that “professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart” because of the risks linked to the pandemic.

“There is no ambiguity about this declaration. We needed to make a final decision about this season. We acknowledge that the 2019-20 season is over,” said LFP president Nathalie Boy de la Tour, in a conference call with reporters.

Ruling out any possibility of following the lead of the Netherlands, who decided to void their season without a champion, relegation or promotion, the LFP said a final table was arranged on the basis of average points per game.

Ten rounds of matches remained when the campaign was halted, although PSG and Strasbourg both had a game in hand.

As a result, Marseille and Rennes will go into the Champions League next season, while fourth-placed Lille will play in the Europa League.

Toulouse and Amiens, the bottom two, are condemned to relegation, with Lorient and Lens coming up from Ligue 2.

The identity of the other European representatives depends on whether the finals of the two domestic cups are ever played.

Large gatherings of people remain banned in France until September.

However, if the French government and UEFA accept, both cup finals could yet be staged in August with European places still up for grabs.

PSG were due to play Lyon in the League Cup final and Saint-Etienne in the French Cup final. If the games are played, Lyon and Saint-Etienne would qualify for the Europa League by winning. 

Lyon — seventh in the table when the season was stopped — would otherwise miss out on European qualification for the first time in over two decades.

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MLS 2020 season is in danger: World Soccer Talk Podcast

World Soccer Talk is a weekly podcast about watching soccer on TV, online and apps.

In the NEW episode, number 169, Christopher Harris and co-host Kartik Krishnaiyer cover a range of topics including:

• The danger that the 2020 MLS season is in and how it impacts the next TV deal,
• Our thoughts on the movie about the Adidas-Puma sneaker wars,
• Latest news on rumors that ESPN are interested in Korean League,
• How soccer eSports are not ready for primetime television,
• Plus letters from you, the listeners, in our mailbag section.

Listen to the show via the player above or via this link.

Send in your questions, comments and feedback via e-mail web@worldsoccertalk.com, via Twitter (@worldsoccertalk) or Facebook. We’ll read them out on-air in the next episode.

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Premier League wrestles with ‘Project Restart’

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs will meet on Friday to discuss whether it is realistic to complete the season during the coronavirus crisis or whether they will have to brace for a devastating financial hit.

The Dutch season has already been called off, Belgium looks set to go the same way and French clubs met Thursday to decide whether to declare their season over.

But with the English top-flight facing an eye-watering estimated loss of £1 billion ($1.25 billion) if no more football is played, there is a huge incentive to play the 92 remaining games if feasible.

The Premier League also appears to have the support of the government in Britain, which now has the third-highest death toll in the world from COVID-19.

Speaking in parliament last week, Oliver Dowden, Britain’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, said he had been in talks with league chiefs over getting football up and running again.

Liverpool fans will be the keenest for the season to restart, with Jurgen Klopp’s side on the brink of their first league title for 30 years when matches were suspended in March.

AFP Sport looks at the issues the Premier League is facing:

Testing

Testing has been a thorny political issue during the pandemic in Britain, with many frontline workers unable to access tests until recently.

Although capacity has been ramped up as the government raced to meet a target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April, there is still unease at the prospect of young, healthy footballers being regularly tested when other members of society are not.

Players and officials could be tested up to twice a week, according to a Sky Sports report on Thursday.

“Are we sending the right message to society? Does it encourage a healthy return or does it maybe send a bad signal suggesting football has different rules than the rest of the world,” said Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, general secretary of players’ union FIFPro.

The Premier League can ill afford another PR disaster in the midst of the crisis after several stumbles so far.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Bournemouth have backtracked on their plans to use government money to prop up the wages of non-playing staff due to public pressure.

And the issue of whether players should take a pay cut has rumbled on.

Player welfare

Former England captain Wayne Rooney complained players had been treated like “guinea pigs” in the days before football was shut down.

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PSG poised to be declared champions as French league prepares to confirm season over

Paris (AFP) – The French football league (LFP) is expected to formally end its season after calling a board meeting on Thursday afternoon, sources told AFP, clearing the way for Paris Saint-Germain to be declared champions again.

The crisis meeting follows this week’s announcement by the French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, that “professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart” because of the risks linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Large gatherings remain banned until September with more than 24,000 people having died from the virus in France, one of the highest death rates worldwide.

“The league is following government directives, and the government has decreed that the leagues be stopped,” explained one board member, who added that “the season is finished”.

Now the LFP must decide how to determine the final standings in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, with various media reports suggesting that will be done on average points per game.

That may only be formally decided at a General Assembly of the league at a later date but, if agreed, it will confirm PSG as champions for the seventh time in eight years.

The season was suspended in mid-March with 10 rounds of matches remaining in the top two divisions. PSG were top, 12 points clear of Marseille at the time and with a game in hand.

Marseille and Rennes would also go into the next Champions League, with Lille in the Europa League.

The identity of the other European representatives depends on whether the finals of the two domestic cups are ever played, but Lyon — seventh in the table when the season was stopped — risk missing out on European qualification for the first time in over two decades.

If promotion and relegation are maintained, Toulouse and Amiens would go down with Lorient and Lens coming up to the top flight.

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Liverpool mayor fears ‘farcical’ scenes if Premier League resumes

London (AFP) – The mayor of Liverpool fears restarting the Premier League could lead to the “farcical” situation of fans congregating in large groups outside Anfield despite the coronavirus crisis.

When the Premier League was postponed on March 13, runaway leaders Liverpool were just two wins from clinching the title.

Premier League chiefs still hope to complete the season but their “Project Restart” plan has come under fire from current and former players, who think it is too soon to resume while the virus is still a major problem.

Matches would be played behind closed doors but Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said he did not believe that would be enough to stop fans from gathering.

He highlighted the potential issue of fans ignoring social-distancing guidelines to celebrate Liverpool’s first English title in 30 years.

“Even if it was behind closed doors, there would be many thousands of people who would turn up outside Anfield,” Anderson told BBC Sport on Thursday.

“There’s not many people who would respect what we were saying and stay away from the ground. A lot of people would come to celebrate so I think it’s a non-starter.”

There have been reports that the remaining 92 Premier League fixtures could be staged at approved neutral venues that are well-positioned to limit the virus spread.

But Anderson is concerned that Anfield would act as a magnet for supporters when Liverpool matches were played, even if the team were elsewhere.

“Even then, I guess that a lot of people would turn up outside Anfield to celebrate and I understand the police’s concerns around that, so there’s a real difficulty here for us,” he said.

“I think it would be really difficult for the police to keep people apart and maintain social distancing if they were going to celebrate outside Anfield. It would be farcical.”

Anderson added: “I think the best thing to do is to actually end the season. 

“It isn’t just about Liverpool — they’ve clearly won the league — they deserve it, they should be crowned league champions.

“The bottom line is, though, this is about health and safety and people’s lives.”

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Former Man Utd star Cole starts kidney research fund

London (AFP) – Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole has started a research fund to help improve kidney transplants and patient wellbeing following his own battle against kidney failure.

Cole, who won multiple trophies under Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, suffered kidney failure in 2015 after picking up a virus while on tour in Vietnam as a United club ambassador.

He had a life-saving transplant three years ago, with his nephew providing the donor kidney.

The 48-year-old, currently in isolation due to the coronavirus, wants to help others through the Andy Cole Fund run by Kidney Research UK, focusing on research into improving kidney transplants and patient wellbeing.

“I’ve been mentally strong enough to play football, but this is the toughest battle I’ve ever had to deal with,” said Cole, who has been working as an assistant coach at third-tier Southend.

“I don’t want anyone to end up struggling like I did. The mental battle is bigger than the physical problem. Your mind is the most powerful thing in the world.

“My goal now is to find better ways to help make life better for people living with kidney disease or a transplant. If I can help anybody else, then I’ll do just that.”

The Andy Cole Fund aims to raise at least £500,000 ($625,000) over the next three years, with improved mental health and wellbeing one of the core aims.

Former England international Cole, who also played for Newcastle and Manchester City, won five Premier League titles, one Champions League and two FA Cups with Manchester United.

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Football’s return ‘good for everyone’ – Mourinho

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho believes bringing football back, even behind closed doors, would be a much-needed morale boost for fans starved of action during the coronavirus crisis.

No Premier League games have been played since March 9 due to the pandemic, which has claimed more than 26,000 British lives.

Dutch football chiefs have called an end to the Eredivisie season while French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu on Thursday called for the French league to end the Ligue 1 season.

England’s top-flight clubs are due to meet on Friday with “Project Restart” at the top of their agenda. They will discuss how they can complete the season despite the logistical difficulties.

“I miss football,” Mourinho told Sky Sports from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, which has been transformed to house a testing centre, outpatient services for a local hospital and a food distribution hub.

“But I prefer to say I miss our world, like I think we all do. Football is just part of my world. But we have to be patient, this is a fight that we all have to fight.”

Even if matches can return, they will be played behind closed doors for the foreseeable future to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

Mourinho, though, believes players will still be putting on a show for millions watching around the world.

“If we play the remaining nine matches this season it will be good for every one of us,” he said. “It will be good for football, for the Premier League.

“If we play football behind closed doors I’d like to think that football is never behind closed doors.

“With cameras, it means that millions and millions are watching. So if one day we walk into this empty stadium, it will not be empty, not at all.”

– Kane back? –

Prior to the shutdown, Mourinho said he could not wait for the season to end due to a debilitating list of injuries.

Yet Spurs could make a late run to finish in the top four should the campaign get back under way, with Harry Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min — who is completing a short period of national service — now recovered from injury.

“They are recovered from their injuries, so Harry Kane is not injured, Moussa Sissoko is not injured, Steven Bergwijn is not injured, but it is one thing not to be injured, it’s another thing to be ready to play football,” Mourinho added.

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French minister criticises football, calls for season to end

Paris (AFP) – French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu on Thursday called for the French league to end the Ligue 1 season and hit out at football clubs and players for a “lack of empathy” during the coronavirus pandemic.

The league will hold a teleconference on Thursday to discuss what to do next, after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said this week the “2019-20 professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart”.

“A decision has to be made,” Maracineanu told radio station RTL.

“The signal that the prime minister gave was clear and simple. We expect sporting bodies to assume their responsibilities as we do.”

One leading club president, Lyon’s Jean-Michel Aulas, has said he does not believe the season is necessarily dead and has even suggested a series of play-offs to decide relegation and European places, but the minister does not want that to happen.

“Resuming this season in August would go against what the prime minister and the government have proposed,” Maracineanu, a former Olympic swimmer, said.

Maracineanu also criticised professional sport in France, and football in particular, for its response to the coronavirus crisis.

“At every level, everyone must be united,” she said. “In professional sport, this isn’t what we saw from the start.

“We saw TV broadcasters who said ‘No, we will not give money owed for matches already played’, we saw club executives who put their own interests first and we saw players who did not seem to care too much about their business, or about all the people who work around them so that sport lives and survives.

“You need empathy, you have to look at the person next to you. We have not really seen that from professional football.”

Players and clubs in the top two French divisions reached a non-binding agreement this month over a “temporary” pay cut to try and help save jobs for other staff.

A study by global players’ union FIFPro has  warned of a sharp rise in the number of footballers reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression since the game was suspended worldwide.

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Pochettino ‘wants to manage Spurs’ again

London (AFP) – Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says he wants to return to the Premier League club one day to finish the job he started.

The Argentine left Spurs in November, six months after leading them to the Champions League final, and has been linked with Newcastle in recent days.

Reports claim he is the main target of the Magpies’ prospective new Saudi Arabian owners should they complete a takeover, but Pochettino could not disguise his desire to return to north London at some stage in his career.

The ex-Southampton boss, who spent more than five years at Spurs, told BT Sport: “It was an amazing journey that finished the way no one wanted it to finish.

“But deep in my heart I am sure our paths will cross again. From the day I left the club, my dream is to be back one day and to try to finish the work we didn’t finish. We were so close to winning the Premier League and Champions League.”

Pochettino said he felt motivated for his next job but still felt the pull of Tottenham.

The 48-year-old transformed Spurs’ fortunes after arriving from Southampton in 2014 but failed to win a trophy.

“Deep inside I want to go back because the fans are so special. Maybe in five years, maybe in 10 years, but before I die I want to manage Tottenham,” he said.

“I want to feel what it means to win one title with Tottenham because the fans are amazing, all the love we received was amazing and that is a good opportunity to pay back all the love they showed us from day one.”

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Braithwaite: People see me as the emergency signing but I deserve to be at Barca

Madrid (AFP) – Martin Braithwaite was Barcelona’s emergency signing in February, a quick-fix to replace the injured Ousmane Dembele, but for him the move goes back 10 years to a broken leg and a notebook.

In his first meeting with the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu and technical secretary Eric Abidal, Braithwaite was told one of the main reasons Barca were buying him was his mentality.

“I felt like they really knew me,” Braithwaite says in an interview with AFP. “They knew how strong I am mentally and they said that was one of the things that made them go for me. They thought I was up for the test.” 

The toughness they saw owes much to when Braithwaite was 18 and playing for Esbjerg FB in Denmark. A broken leg prompted him to transform his attitude and start writing objectives down in a notebook. 

“I was already a professional footballer but I wasn’t respecting the job and I wasn’t respecting the boy that had a dream to be here,” Braithwaite says. “I took it for granted.” 

A year later, Braithwaite was in a hotel after joining Toulouse when he took out his notebook again. 

“I came to a page of some objectives, maybe three or four years earlier, and I saw I had written Toulouse,” Braithwaite says. “When I saw that, I thought, ‘Wow, the power of the mind is really strong’. 

“And when I was 27 or 28, I wrote I would play for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Now I’m here, where I said I would be 10 years ago.”

– ‘Embarrased’ –

Braithwaite draws upon his childhood too, when a hip condition called Legg-Calve-Perthes left him in a wheelchair between the age of five and seven. 

“I remember I felt sad. I felt embarrassed,” he says. “I was just a kid who wanted to play. I remember the look people would give me, like I was different. 

“Of course, I came through that and look where I am today but at the same time it makes me humble and grateful for the things I have.” 

For some, Barcelona buying Braithwaite was a result of opportunism, through the use of an obscure La Liga rule, and caused by bad planning, after a chaotic transfer window left the squad short.

But Braithwaite sees it as hard work paying off. Even during lockdown, he adds extra training to the club programme and watches videos of his teammates, learning where they move, run and pass, to speed up his adaptation.

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Lazio cling to Serie A dream as 105-year-old nightmare looms

Rome (AFP) – Italy’s sports minister has cast doubt on the resumption of Serie A leaving title-chasing Lazio fearing that history could repeat itself and deny them the Scudetto for the second time.

But with its president Claudio Lotito as the main driving force, the Roman club are determined that the Italian football league will resume despite the pandemic of the new coronavirus. 

At stake, a Scudetto that Lazio see as being at their fingertips and the fear of reliving a nightmare going back 105 years.

Lazio missed out on the title the only previous time that football was suspended in Italy after the country’s entry into the First World War in May 1915.

Genoa were controversially awarded the title. Lazio still claim it should have been shared.

This season Lazio were second in Serie A, just one point behind Juventus when the championship was suspended on March 10.

The club are chasing a third league crown in their 120-year history after 2000 and 1974, the latter a season which had been threatened by a cholera epidemic.

No wonder Lazio are hell bent on resuming this season’s championship despite the coronavirus crisis which has killed over 27,000 in Italy.

Lotito insists it’s in the interests of football, to avoid “the irreparable damage” and risk of bankruptcy to clubs in all leagues.

“If we stop, it suits me. I’m in the Champions League and I’m saving four months’ salary,” the 62-year-old said ahead of Friday’s Lega Serie A emergency general assembly where the fate of the championship could be decided.

Simone Inzaghi’s side had been on an unbeaten run in the league going back to last September. 

They beat Juventus twice in December by a 3-1 scoreline, including the Italian Super Cup final.

– ‘Expert virologist’ –

Whether the season resumes or not, the Romans are almost certain to go to the Champions League. 

But they had hoped for more — the coveted title and to stand in the way of Juventus winning a ninth straight title.

Inter Milan are third, eight points behind Lazio with Bergamo side Atalanta 14 points adrift, with both teams having played a game less.

Lotito’s dogged determination has irritated, with Juventus counterpart Andrea Agnelli, reportedly commenting during a conversation between the two: “You’ve now become an expert virologist!”

Businessman Lotito, who owns two cleaning companies employed by Roman hospitals where patients of Covid-19 are treated, also stressed “the immense social importance of football”, adding that “the history of the Romans “was made of bread and games”.

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Coronavirus condemns Chinese football to endless pre-season

Shanghai (AFP) – Many footballers dread the rigours of pre-season training but in China they could be forgiven for hating it by now as stop-start preparations drag into a fifth month because of the coronavirus.

The Chinese Super League (CSL) was one of the earliest sporting victims of the pandemic with the February 22 start date indefinitely postponed in January.

The CSL could now begin in late June or early July but the uncertainty has left teams at all three levels of professional football treading water since the start of the year.

“Everyone was expecting the season would start at the end of February but now we don’t know exactly when it will begin,” AC Milan legend Roberto Donadoni, coach of second-division Shenzhen FC, told AFP in a recent interview.

“This is the biggest problem for me and everybody because when you know the exact start date, you put your focus on this day.”

The never-ending pre-season — punctuated by short holidays and periods of quarantine — is the opposite of the problem facing clubs in Europe.

Leagues suspended there because of the outbreak are racing to restart but there are concerns players will not have enough time to get properly fit after weeks locked down.

CSL side Shanghai Shenhua are into a third phase of preparations at home after spells on the island of Hainan then Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE. 

Coach Choi Kang-Hee said that the fitness his players built up in the UAE in February and March had been lost.

“Unfortunately, because of the epidemic, both the AFC Champions League and the Super League have been postponed repeatedly,” the South Korean said, according to the Oriental Sports Daily.

“So far there is still no exact start time and the players have to face the prospect of only practising, not playing (competitive matches).

“After returning to China we first had a two-week quarantine period, and then two weeks of rest.

“We are now almost starting everything from scratch again.”

For his players, the season cannot come soon enough.

“It’s not just me. All the players here are ready for matches,” veteran international defender Feng Xiaoting told state media.

– ‘Difficult time’ –

Last season’s CSL runners-up Beijing Guoan have been in Spain, South Korea and Thailand since January. They are now back in China.

They squeezed in one competitive match, a 1-0 win at Thailand’s Chiangrai United in February in the AFC Champions League, but that tournament also ground to a halt.

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Dutch coach Verbeek quits A-League’s Adelaide United

Sydney (AFP) – Dutchman Gertjan Verbeek quit as Adelaide United coach Thursday after less than a year in charge, citing uncertainty over the Australian A-League’s future due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Verbeek, who guided Adelaide to victory in the FFA Cup last year, said he asked for an early release from his contract after recently returning to the Netherlands.

“Given… the global health problems, future of the league, the difficult financial situation of the club and the need to protect and care for my family, my future as head coach at Adelaide United was insecure,” he said in a statement.

Verbeek had previously coached at the highest level in Germany and the Netherlands, including at Feyenoord, FC Nurnberg and FC Twente.

He is no relation to the late Pim Verbeek, a Dutch compatriot who coached Australia at the 2010 World Cup.

Adelaide United thanked him for his service and said it would not renew the contract of his assistant, Gerald Sibon.

“In due course we will assess the situation and will make the appropriate coaching staff decision based on the status of the league,” said club chairman Piet van der Pol.

Football Federation Australia suspended the A-League season in late March and has said it does not know when games will resume.

The cash-strapped FFA is also reportedly in dispute with broadcaster Foxtel, with the pay-TV operator looking to scrap the final three years of its six-year rights contract.

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Minister warns Serie A return doubtful, federation boss fears ‘football death’

Milan (AFP) – Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned Wednesday that Italy may have to follow France and the Netherlands and call an end to their football and sports seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Italian Football Federation chief Gabriele Gravina warned that such a decision would signal “the death of Italian football”.

“I see an increasingly narrow path for the resumption of the championship. If I were a president of a football club, I would especially think of organising myself to safely resume the next championship which will start at the end of August,” Spadafora told Italian television channel La 7.

“The decisions being taken by other countries, like France yesterday, could push Italy to follow this line too, which would then become a European line,” he added.

In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Tuesday that professional football, rugby and other sports cannot resume until the end of the summer, although his sports minister later told AFP it was possible games could be played behind closed doors in August. 

The Dutch football federation called an end to the 2019-2020 season last week.

“I think the next meeting of the Lega Serie A may hold a surprise,” continued Spadafora, with Italy’s top flight clubs holding an emergency general assembly on Friday. 

“The majority of clubs could ask us to suspend this season and prepare for the next championship as best possible.”

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gravina warned later Wednesday that he would “never sign for the end of the championships”, which would be “the death of Italian football”. 

“I refuse to sign for a total block except for objective conditions relating to the health of members, coaches, staff members or employees. But someone will have to tell me clearly and stop me from moving forward,” he said.

“Time is working in our favour,” added Gravina who estimated that the federation would suffer losses of up to 800 million euros ($870 million) by stopping the season. 

The Italian championship was put on hold on March 9 because of the virus which has killed over 27,000 lives in the country. 

The government has allowed individual athletes to resume training but team sports, including football, must wait until at least May 18.

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Maradona pleads for ‘Hand of God’ to end pandemic

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has asked the “Hand of God” to deliver the world from the coronavirus pandemic and allow normal life to resume.

The World Cup winner referred to his hand-assisted goal in the 1986 World Cup after Argentine football chiefs voted to end the current season as well as suspend relegation, saving Maradona-managed bottom club Gimnasia from the drop.

“Today this happened to us and many people say it is a new Hand of God,” said Maradona, alluding to his infamous goal against England.

“But today I’m asking for that hand to end this pandemic so people can go back to living their lives, healthy and happy.”

Then-Argentine captain Maradona responded to the controversy over his goal at the World Cup in Mexico by saying “it was the Hand of God!” 

Argentina went on to beat England 2-1 in the quarter-final.

On being thrown a lifeline by the suspension of the season, he told Argentine daily Clarin: “It’s not the ending we had wanted, we were convinced we could save ourselves on the pitch.”

Argentina has been in lockdown since March 20 against the coronavirus, which by early Wednesday had infected 4,114 people with 207 deaths.

The 59-year-old Maradona, appointed to manage struggling Gimnasia in September, said clubs in Argentina are facing years of financial difficulty.

“Hopefully it is understood that we have to face what’s coming together, for the good of football. No-one is like Rambo in this war, because even Rambo loses against this.”

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Rangers accused by league chief of bringing game into disrepute

London (AFP) – Rangers risk “bringing the game into disrepute” after making allegations against Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) executives without providing evidence, according to SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan. 

MacLennan urged clubs to reject a formal request from Rangers, Hearts and Stranraer for an independent investigation into a controversial vote which ended the season for the three lower divisions and handed the SPFL board the authority to do the same for the Premiership.

Rangers previously alleged clubs had been “bullied”, claimed they had “alarming” evidence and called for SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster and legal advisor Rod McKenzie to be suspended.

They later promised to divulge their dossier to clubs “well in advance” of a general meeting called for May 12.

In a lengthy open letter, MacLennan wrote: “If Rangers or any other club genuinely believes that it has been bullied by any member of the SPFL team, it has a duty to report that to me, as chairman of the board of the SPFL. I will then investigate any such allegations fully and thoroughly.

“In the absence of any such report, those alleging ‘bullying and coercion’ risk bringing the game into disrepute and sowing further unnecessary division.”

The resolution to end the Championship, League One and League Two seasons was passed by 81 percent of the 42 member clubs.

Should the SPFL board decide the remaining games of the Premiership season cannot be played, Celtic would be crowned champions for a record-equalling ninth season in a row on a points-per-game basis as they led Rangers by 13 points when the campaign was stopped due to the coronavirus crisis.

As it stands, Hearts would be relegated from the Premiership and Stranraer down to League Two.

The SPFL argued that ending the season was the only way to release vital prize money due to cash-stricken clubs in the lower leagues.

However, Rangers had argued that the SPFL could have instead provided loans secured against future prize money.  

MacLennan defended the information given to clubs and claimed there were “simply no other viable options”, describing Rangers’ suggestion of handing out loans instead of end-of-season payments as “deeply flawed”.

The resolution only passed when Dundee finally voted in favour, five days after clubs had been asked to cast their ballot.

The Championship side originally planned to reject the proposal, but their emailed vote on April 10 was not received by the SPFL.

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Man Utd given permission to trial safe standing at Old Trafford

London (AFP) – Manchester United have been granted permission to install 1,500 safe-standing seats for use in a trial when Old Trafford is opened again to supporters.

The use of barrier seating has been approved following a change in regulations and a feasibility study carried out by the club.

Fans are not expected to be permitted to attend matches for at least a number of months with English football indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Even when matches do return, they will likely take place behind closed doors for the forseeable future.

However, United insist work can be carried out on the project whilst respecting social distancing guidelines to ensure it is ready for when fans can return.

“It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background,” said United’s managing director Richard Arnold.

“This announcement is the latest step in what has been a long journey with our fans.

“We have listened to their feedback, in particular, the representations made by MUST (Manchester United Supporters’ Trust), and worked with Trafford Council to develop and approve this proposal.”

Arnold added that the barrier seats can enhance spectator safety in areas of the ground where fans persistently stand anyway and that the trial could be extended to other areas of the stadium.

“We will now move on to develop the installation, compliance and licensing plan for the trial, with a view to having the new seats installed for when we can welcome our supporters back to Old Trafford,” said Arnold.

All-seater stadiums have been mandatory in the top two tiers of English football since 1994/95, following recommendations on stadium safety made in the Taylor Report, which was commissioned after 96 people died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

But there has been a renewed push in recent years for safe standing to be brought into the top levels of English football with United set to follow fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham and Wolves in installing rail seating.

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French football ponders next steps after being told season cannot restart

Paris (AFP) – French football clubs are bracing themselves for a major financial hit after Tuesday’s government announcement that the current season would not be allowed to restart, with the uncertainty leaving even all-powerful Paris Saint-Germain facing potentially serious consequences.

Clubs had been optimistic that the season — suspended in mid-March with 10 games remaining — would be allowed to resume in mid-June behind closed doors.

That would have guaranteed revenue from television, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe delivered a hammer blow in an address to the National Assembly as he detailed plans to ease the strict lockdown introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“The 2019-2020 professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart,” Philippe said, while adding that gatherings of over 5,000 people would remain outlawed until September.

The French league will now meet on Thursday “to analyse the sporting and economic consequences” of the government announcement. The season could in theory still be played to a conclusion, somehow. Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of Lyon, insists as much.

“I wonder if we can’t come up with a format which would allow us to finish the season in July or maybe August,” Aulas said.

However, it is worth remembering that Lyon were seventh when the season was suspended and so stand to miss out on European qualification for the first time in 24 years if no more games are played.

In contrast, Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere said the government had made “a wise decision, very responsible”.

– Will PSG get title? –

Assuming no more matches take place, the league must decide how to end the season. It is understood that France will not follow the lead of the Netherlands, who decided to void their season with no champion, relegation or promotion.

Final placings could be attributed based on the standings as they are, or using an average of points per game.

PSG were 12 points clear with a game in hand when the campaign stopped, with Marseille and Rennes in Champions League qualifying berths.

France had reported 23,660 deaths from Covid-19 by Tuesday, one of the highest totals worldwide. However, the determination to get football up and running again was an economic one.

With UEFA eager to start next season in good time, Ligue 1 appears in an impossible situation.

Sports daily L’Equipe calculates that the top two divisions could now miss out on 243 million euros ($264 million) from broadcasters Canal Plus and beIN Sports, plus 35 million euros for international rights. That is on top of lost gate receipts and sponsorship.

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Bundesliga clears another hurdle to planned return: reports

Berlin (AFP) – German football has taken another key step towards restarting the Bundesliga next month with the Ministry of Labour the latest body to reportedly approve plans.

“The safety of players, coaches and support staff can be largely ensured if the concept is fully implemented”, the ministry’s state secretary Bjoern Boehning told the RND media group.

The German Football League (DFL) has drawn up detailed plans for the Bundesliga to resume from May 9. These include games behind closed doors, regular testing of players and strict hygiene measures.

The DFL’s plan is “sensible, reduces risks and is therefore acceptable in terms of occupational health and safety,” Boehning added.

German football ground to a halt in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic which has so far claimed 6,115 lives in Germany.

The final go-ahead to resume must come from the government. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet with the state leaders on Thursday via a video conference.

The sports ministers of the 16 German states also approved the DFL’s plans on Monday, however a spokesman has said a final decision on the Bundesliga’s restart is expected next week. 

Sticking points are the testing of players, which critics claim will be an extra burden on Germany’s health system.

The police union has also warned that they expect locked-out fans will still congregate outside stadiums during matches, even though public gatherings are banned in Germany.

Christian Seifert, CEO of the German league, has defended the plans to restart.

“I can understand if people are worried about what kind of signal this might send out,” Seifert told Frankfurt-based newspaper FAZ.

“However, with our medically-organised concept we can create a framework of which the authorities and politicians can then say ‘they are doing their utmost to prevent infection’ – that’s all we can do.”

With several clubs threatened by insolvency, Germany’s top clubs are desperate for the season to finish by June 30 in order to claim millions in television money.

On Tuesday night, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told broadcaster ZDF that Bundesliga clubs stand to lose “all-in-all 750 million euros” if the season does not resume.

Watzke is convinced that “there will not be a case (of the coronavirus) in football’s closed system” given the hygiene measures planned by the DFL.

Players are expected to be tested twice a week.

They would also be ‘semi-quarantined’, meaning they must remain at home, on club grounds or travelling to or from matches until the season is finished.

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Beckenbauer corruption trial ends without verdict

Geneva (AFP) – German football great Franz Beckenbauer’s trial on corruption charges linked to the 2006 World Cup has ended without a verdict after previously being put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The five-year-long trial, held in Switzerland, of 74-year-old Beckenbauer and three other men was suspended because of the health crisis and the statute of limitations has now expired.

Beckenbauer, who headed the organising committee for the 2006 World Cup, had denied the allegations.

FIFA said on Tuesday it was disappointed that the trial would not proceed.

“FIFA is deeply disappointed that the trial related to the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 will not take place because it has now become time barred,” world football’s governing body said in a statement.

“The fact that the case has now ended without a result of any kind is very worrying, not only for football but also for the administration of justice in Switzerland.”

FIFA said it hoped the “truth” around the payment of 10 million Swiss francs at the centre of the accusations would come to light one day.

“For FIFA this case is certainly not over as we cannot and will not accept that a CHF 10 million payment is made from FIFA accounts without a proper reason.”

Beckenbauer was a World Cup winner as a player in 1974 and coach when West Germany won in 1990.

In Switzerland, criminal proceedings concerning a fraud allegation must take place within 15 years. Because Beckenbauer’s case dates back to an incident in 2005, courts no longer have jurisdiction over the case.

Beckenbauer was accused of making payments to former FIFA executive Mohamed bin Hammam in 2005.

Beckenbauer has denied he paid money to anyone “to buy votes” to help Germany win the right to host the 2006 finals.

Germany beat the pre-vote favourites South Africa 12-11 in the ballot.

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‘How many have to die?’: Neville voices fears over Premier League plans

London (AFP) – Gary Neville fears Premier League players’ lives will be put at risk if football is rushed back too soon after the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in Britain.

Premier League chiefs are aiming for a return to action in June and several clubs opened their training grounds to players this week as they work on “Project Restart”.

The English top flight is understood to be aiming to run a huge testing operation to keep footballers safe, with reports of 26,000 tests being lined up for players and staff.

But FIFA’s medical chief Michel D’Hooghe said on Tuesday that football should not be played until September and former Manchester United defender Neville is worried that Premier League stars will be put in danger by the rush to return.

“The FIFA medical officer said that football should not take place before September. I think if it was a non-economic decision there would be no football for months,” Neville told the Sky Sports Football Show on Wednesday.

“People are now assessing risk. How many people have to die playing football in the Premier League before it becomes unpalatable? One? One player? One member of staff goes into intensive care? What risk do we have to take? The discussion is purely economic.”

Neville voiced his particular concerns over the risk to players with existing medical conditions.

“If health comes first, there is only one outcome at this moment in time. How many players have got asthma? How many players have diabetes?

“Have they assessed all of these things and are they willing to put those people at risk?”

The UK is among the worst-hit countries in the global COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 21,000 deaths so far.

The country is on lockdown until at least May 7, but government officials have spoken in positive terms about a potential return for football if the virus is under control.

– ‘No football for months’ –

Germany’s sports ministers have said the Bundesliga could return next month but Dutch football chiefs have called an end to the Eredivisie season and the Belgian campaign is in the balance.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said football would not return in his country until at least September.

In the Premier League, full training is reportedly slated for mid-May, with the plan to be discussed at a meeting of stakeholders on Friday.

However, Neville is concerned that the Premier League’s desire to conclude the campaign is being driven by financial motives, with the English top flight facing a huge hit if the 92 remaining fixtures are not played.

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Italy’s sports minister warns of ‘increasingly narrow path’ for Serie A return

Milan (AFP) – Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned Wednesday that Italy may have to follow France and the Netherlands and call an end to their football and sports seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I see an increasingly narrow path for the resumption of the championship. If I were a president of a football club, I would especially think of organising myself to safely resume the next championship which will start at the end of August,” Spadafora told Italian television channel La 7.

“The decisions being taken by other countries, like France yesterday, could push Italy to follow this line too, which would then become a European line,” he added.

In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Tuesday that professional football, rugby and other sports cannot resume until the end of the summer, although his sports minister later told AFP it was possible games could be played behind closed doors in August. 

The Dutch football federation called an end to the 2019-2020 season last week.

“I think the next meeting of the Lega Serie A may hold a surprise,” continued Spadafora, with Italy’s top flight clubs holding an emergency general assembly on Friday. 

“The majority of clubs could ask us to suspend this season and prepare for the next championship as best possible.”

The Italian championship was put on hold on March 9 because of the virus which has killed over 27,000 lives in the country. 

The government has allowed individual athletes to resume training but team sports, including football, must wait until at least May 18.

“At the latest within this week, the technical-scientific committee will tell us if the medical protocol is feasible or not,” the Minister added. 

“Within three days at most we can say if Serie A can start training again on May 18. 

“There is no doubt that if we were to resume the championship, the matches will be played behind closed doors.”

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Derby thank Rooney after agreeing wage deferral

London (AFP) – Derby County have thanked captain Wayne Rooney for the leading role he played in the club agreeing a wage deferral with players to help the English Championship club survive the coronavirus crisis.

Manager Phillip Cocu, his coaching staff, executives and non-playing staff have also deferred part of their salary.

“First team players have voluntarily agreed a substantial deferral that is considerably more than has been reported in the media, while Phillip Cocu and his coaching team, and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Pearce and his staff have also agreed significant deferrals,” Derby said in a statement.

“Talks across the club have been held in the spirit of unity and co-operation, and everyone has been fully committed to help and play their part.

“The club would specifically like to thank Wayne Rooney, the team captain, and Curtis Davies, the Professional Footballers Association’s club representative, for their help and support.”

Derby seem set for another season in the second tier as they lay 12th in the table when the COVID-19 outbreak brought football to a halt last month.

A failure to finish the season is forecast to cost Premier League clubs an estimated £1 billion ($1.2 billion).

However, the effects of the economic crisis could be even more severe further down the football pyramid as many clubs face a battle to survive.

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Sacked Chinese footballer sorry for altering licence plate

Shanghai (AFP) – A Chinese international footballer spotted altering the number plate on his Mercedes 4×4 was released from 15 days’ custody and apologised on Wednesday.

Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande sacked winger Yu Hanchao after he was filmed changing a letter E to an F on his jeep in mid-April.

Police in the southern city fined Yu 5,000 yuan ($700) and he was held by authorities in “administrative detention”.

Yu, who has 59 caps and nine goals for China, was freed on Wednesday, state media said.

In his first public reaction to the controversy, the 33-year-old blamed his “weak awareness of the law”.

“I was chancing my luck, which violates traffic regulations,” Yu wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo, without explaining why he doctored the number plate.

Reports have speculated he was trying to evade traffic restrictions limiting drivers based on their licence numbers.

“I sincerely apologise to everyone and hope my case will serve as a warning to others.

“I wholly accept all the criticism and will always remind myself to be a law-abiding citizen in future.”

Yu is searching for a new club after Fabio Cannavaro’s Evergrande said he had “severely violated” team rules.

Yu’s international career also appears to be over, although he has not featured for his country since the Asian Cup last year.

China’s coach Li Tie on Wednesday again left Yu out of his training squad.

However, he did include Evergrande’s Brazilian-born striker Aloisio for the first time.

The 31-year-old joins another naturalised forward, Elkeson — also originally from Brazil — in the squad.

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