Italian Olympic committee step in to run oversee crisis-ridden FA

Rome (AFP) – Italy’s Olympic Committee (CONI) on Thursday appointed Roberto Fabbricini as commissioner to oversee the crisis-ridden Italian football federation (FIGC).

CONI secretary general Fabbricini will be assisted by former AC Milan star Alessandro “Billy” Costacurta and legal expert Angelo Clarizia. The trio were appointed after the FIGC election failed to produce a new president, two-and-a-half months after the national team crashed out of the World Cup precipitating a crisis.

The vacuum extends beyond the FIGC as the Italian top division, Serie A, has only had an interim president for almost a year and the national team has no coach, following Gian Piero Ventura’s dismissal.

“I believe this is the best, the right way,” said CONI president Giovanni Malago adding that among the commissioners  “no-one has held previous roles with the FIGC. There is a discontinuity with the governance and (CONI) gave them a full mandate. 

“We must avoid the FIGC returning to a similar situation when this commissioner role ends.”

In Monday’s FIGC vote, none of the three presidential candidates — Amateur League chief Cosimo Sibilia, the president of the third-tier Lega Pro division Gabriele Gravina and the head of the professional players’ union Damiano Tommasi — could obtain a majority.

Tommasi finished bottom in the second and third rounds and was eliminated. In the fourth ballot, the two remaining candidates each required more than 50 per cent to win, yet neither could manage that. Gravina received 39.06 percent of the vote, Sibilia 1.85 percent, but 59.09 percent of voters left their ballots blank.

The post Italian Olympic committee step in to run oversee crisis-ridden FA appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2rY7Hht

Senegal’s Babacar joins Sassuolo to chase World Cup dream

Milan (AFP) – Senegalese striker Khouma Babacar said on Thursday that he had taken the painful decision to leave Fiorentina after 11 years to pursue his dream of playing for Senegal in the World Cup.

Babacar completed a loan move from Fiorentina, a team he joined as a 13-year-old in 2008, to Serie A rivals Sassuolo with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.

“My goal is to revive my career, of course I would be happy to go to Russia,” said the 24-year-old who earned his only cap for Senegal last March.

“After eleven years, leaving home was not easy, but at a certain point in life you have to make some choices as a professional. I’m here now, I’m sure we’ll do a lot of good things with the team.”

Babacar made his senior debut for Fiorentina in 2010 at the age of just 16 years, and scored his first goal aged 17. 

“I remember my first game with Fiorentina against Genoa, it was unforgettable,” he said.

Babacar subsequently went on loan to Spanish club Racing Santander and Italian sides Padua and Modena before returning to Tuscany in 2014.

During his successful loan spell at Modena scored 20 goals in 41 games, but on his return to Fiorentina was fighting for a place in the team and with 20 appearances only made three starts this season.

“All that is in the past now. I have this opportunity to demonstrate I still have what it takes,” added Babacar, who scored 27 goals in 97 appearances for Fiorentina. 

He could make his debut for his new team, which is based in the province of Modena, against champions Juventus next Sunday.

“They have great players, but we are a young team too. We will go on the pitch and we will do our best, without team-mates I can’t score goals, we will have to show we work together.”

The post Senegal’s Babacar joins Sassuolo to chase World Cup dream appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2EwKMfT

Giroud relishing Champions League challenge at Chelsea

London (AFP) – Olivier Giroud pinpointed a return to Champions League football as a key factor in his decision to join Chelsea from Arsenal on the final day of the January transfer window.

Giroud was a helpless spectator as Chelsea crashed to a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday to harm their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

However, they remain eight points better off than Arsenal in the battle to finish in the top four, and also host Barcelona in the first leg of a blockbuster Champions League last 16 tie on February 20.

“The Champions League is massive for a football player. There is nothing above it when you’re playing for a club,” said the French international, who made six of his 10 starts for Arsenal this season in the Europa League.

“There will be two nice games against Barcelona. We know their qualities and I think everybody will need to be 100 per cent to go through.”

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival at Arsenal paved the way for Giroud to leave after five-and-a-half years at the Emirates as he sought more minutes on the field to further his case for inclusion in France’s World Cup squad.

And his physical presence is just what Chelsea manager Antonio Conte sought during a frustrating January for the Italian with first-choice striker Alvaro Morata sidelined by a back injury.

“The most important thing was talking with the coach. I felt like he really wanted me and he really wanted to work with me,” Giroud added.

“I wanted to sign for Chelsea and nowhere else. I really wanted to play more. I wanted to stay in the Premier League, and Chelsea for me is perfect because I can even stay in London.

“But the first reason is the sporting challenge. That has always been my first priority. Everything is here for me to be happy.”

The post Giroud relishing Champions League challenge at Chelsea appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2GDsXfU

Dortmund boss relieved Aubmeyang saga is over

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Stoeger says now that the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer saga is finally over his side can refocus on their football as they prepare to face resurgent Cologne on Friday.

“It became a topic behind which no one could hide,” Stoeger explained.

“It’s good that it’s over, because the topic attracted such an incredible amount of attention,” Stoeger told Bild.

Arsenal spent a new club record £56 million ($79.2m, 63.7m euros) on Wednesday to sign the Gabon striker and end weeks of speculation.

Stoeger, who took charge in December, dropped Aubameyang for Dortmund’s first two Bundesliga matches of 2018, yet has defended the star striker.

“In my time, he was never late (to training),” said Stoeger.

“He once skipped a team meeting and once trained badly because he obviously wanted to send a signal, but otherwise he behaved properly.

“I can not say that the boys (team) were so upset (by his behaviour).”

Nevertheless, Stoeger is delighted the saga is over — for all parties concerned.

“If we had sent him to the stands and possibly kept him until summer, the topic would have never been settled and there would have been no winner,” admitted Stoeger.

With Aubameyang gone, Dortmund have signed Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season.

He is unlikely to start at Cologne on Friday, but Stoeger hinted he could feature off the bench.

“He is ready to go and there is no training arrears to make up,” said the Austrian of Batshuayi.

English teenager Jadon Sancho, 17, is set to make his fourth start while Dortmund’s new Swiss centre-back Manuel Akanji could make his debut after signing from Basel.

Dortmund start the weekend sixth in Germany’s top flight after drawing their last three games.

Despite their placing at the bottom of the table, resurgent Cologne are on a four-match unbeaten run under Stoeger’s successor Stefan Ruthenbeck.

Only a late equaliser at home to Augsburg last weekend denied them four straight wins.

It is a remarkable turn-around as their first win this season only came on December 16 — shortly after sacking Stoeger, who joined Dortmund just a week later.

Ahead of Friday’s match, Cologne’s director of sport Armin Veh has criticised Stoeger for his training methods while at the club.

“Having 13 injured players is not a coincidence and I assume that something went wrong in our training management,” Veh told Cologne-newspaper Express in pinning the club’s injury woes on Stoeger.

“As colleagues, we’ve always got on and as the manager of Cologne, it was my job to analyse the situation and make the right conclusions.”

The post Dortmund boss relieved Aubmeyang saga is over appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2E8mzyH

West Ham suspend head of recruitment over racism allegations

London (AFP) – West Ham on Thursday suspended director of recruitment Tony Henry while the Premier League club investigates allegations that he made racist remarks about African players.

According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Henry said the Hammers wanted to limit the number of African players because “they have a bad attitude” and “cause mayhem” when they are not in the team.

Henry, it was claimed, suggested it was a policy supported by club management but insisted West Ham had “nothing against the African race at all”.

The club announced on Thursday that Henry had been suspended while an investigation takes place.

“The club can confirm that director of player recruitment Tony Henry has been suspended pending a full and thorough investigation,” West Ham said in a statement.

“West Ham United will not tolerate any type of discrimination and has, therefore, acted swiftly due to the serious nature of these claims.

“The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome and included.”

The Mail reported that Henry sent an email on January 27, in response to an inquiry about a footballer of Cameroonian descent, to another senior West Ham official and an agent.

In the email, Henry allegedly wrote: “We don’t want any more Africans and he’s not good enough.”

When asked by the Mail why that was the case, Henry reportedly highlighted “problems” with their former striker Diafra Sakho, who left West Ham to join French club Rennes on Monday.

“We find that when they are not in the team they cause mayhem,” he allegedly said.

Henry reportedly denied he was being discriminatory and highlighted Senegal’s Cheikhou Kouyate as “a great player for us”.

Kouyate posted a picture of himself on Instagram on Thursday morning with the caption “African and proud”.

Herman Ouseley, chairman of anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, told the Daily Mail that “giving instruction to someone to discriminate against a person is unlawful”, and that he expected the club to take action.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) welcomed West Ham’s move to suspend Henry and expressed its concern over the allegations.

“We are shocked at the reported comments published in the media this morning. The PFA strongly condemn any such views and there is no place for them in football,” said a PFA statement.

“The swift action by West Ham is encouraging and we trust they will deal with this in keeping with football’s position on all matters of equality and anti-racism.”

The post West Ham suspend head of recruitment over racism allegations appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2FCcQ0r

Premier League smashes January transfer window record

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs spent a record £430 million in the January transfer window as top sides scrambled to boost their squads in the race to secure lucrative Champions League spots, according to analysis by Deloitte.

The sum spent was nearly double the previous record of £225 million, with deadline day alone, January 31, seeing clubs complete deals totalling £150 million ($214 million, 172 million euros), also a new record for the winter window.

Deloitte’s Sports Business Group estimates spending by Premier League clubs in the 2017/18 season to be a record £1.9 billion, eclipsing last season’s record of £1.4 billion.

“Premier League clubs have taken the opportunity to refresh their squads in January before the decisive phase of the season,” said Dan Jones, a partner in the accountancy firm. 

Nearly two-thirds of the gross expenditure was by the top six, while the bottom six accounted for about a fifth.

The winter transfer window usually sees the bulk of spending by clubs at the bottom of the league as they attempt to spend their way to survival from relegation, although last month’s splurge is more like a normal summer window.

“Such is the level of competition for a coveted top-four position in the Premier League, as well as ongoing European battles, that top clubs have been willing to break with more traditional summer investment strategies to steal a march on their rivals mid-season, with several club transfer records being broken in this window,” said Jones.

He added that international trade had flourished, with the highest-ever January gross overseas outlay in Premier League history (£260 million), but also the highest amount of January receipts from abroad (£185 million), with names such as Philippe Coutinho and Diego Costa leaving England and (Aymeric) Laporte and (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang arriving.

Brazil midfielder Coutinho moved from Liverpool to Barcelona after five seasons at Anfield, while Chelsea’s wantaway Spanish striker Diego Costa left for Atletico Madrid.

Manchester City spent £57 million on Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte and Aubameyang signed for Arsenal for £56 million.

Liverpool got in early to line up the costliest deal of the month, signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m.

One of the most high-profile transfers, Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United, was a straight swap deal, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going in the opposite direction.

A new January transfer window record for player sales was also set, with deals totalling £340 million, leaving net transfer expenditure at £90 million.

“While another record-breaking season catches the eye, Premier League clubs’ expenditure continues to be well within their means in the context of revenue generated,” said Jones.

“Estimated 2017/18 net spend of £755 million represents just 17 percent of forecast 2017/18 Premier League revenue, in line with the average over the 15 years since the first transfer window in January 2003, as clubs’ increase investment in players in proportion to the overall growth of the football business.”

The post Premier League smashes January transfer window record appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2ntuZXJ

Guardiola repeats call for player protection as City forge ahead

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola urged officials to better protect his star players after a 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.

The result left his side with a commanding 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League but Guardiola was unhappy with a series of challenges, the worst of which saw Matt Phillips booked for a high-flying lunge at young City substitute Brahim Diaz.

The incident followed City’s FA Cup victory at Cardiff on Sunday where Leroy Sane suffered an ankle ligament injury which will sideline him for up to seven weeks — prompting Guardiola’s call for his players’ protection.

However, he was in a more conciliatory mood on Wednesday, although he did have an animated discussion with fourth official Kevin Friend on the final whistle.

“I’ve said what I said so we spoke with Kevin, the fourth official,” Guardiola told reporters. “They have an opinion, I have another one, they’re the bosses, I accept that. I have to accept it.”

The Spaniard added: “Today we were lucky, three or four days ago we were unlucky with Leroy. 

“The image speaks for itself. I could repeat what I said after the last game but it’s not necessary. The chat was good, that’s all.”

Guardiola was also unhappy with a late lunge by James McClean on Kevin De Bruyne, which earned the West Brom man a yellow card, and an Allan Nyom foul on Kyle Walker.

– ‘Poor challenge’ –

But Albion manager Alan Pardew believed Guardiola’s weekend comments had provoked City supporters into trying to put pressure on referee Bobby Madley in a bid to get him to hand out harsher treatment to the visitors than might otherwise have been the case. 

Pardew also pointed out that City were not faultless, highlighting an early incident in which home midfielder Fernandinho appeared to stamp on Grzegorz Krychowiak, who had to be replaced later in the first half.

“He’s a winger and in desperate situations wingers can make poor challenges. It was a poor challenge, make no mistake about that,” said Pardew of Phillips’s challenge.

“But I think Fernandinho made a similar one in the middle of the pitch. I’m not sure if the referee saw it.

“I thought Pep’s comments at the weekend affected the crowd. Every challenge, they were saying ‘you’re not protecting our players, referee!’. 

“There were a few songs sung about him but I actually thought he (Madley) had a decent game.”

Officiating aside, it was a routine victory for Guardiola’s team, with goals from Fernandinho, De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero sealing victory.

– ‘Amazing joy’ –

Their efforts also took City’s goal tally for the season to 101, an astonishing mark before the end of January, although Guardiola was conscious that his team missed a host of chances — Raheem Sterling in particular — and the manager warned they were chances which better teams would have punished his side for wasting.

“When you ask me what he (Sterling) can improve – that (finishing)!” said Guardiola, whose side remains in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple of Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League titles in the one season. 

“When he is able to improve that he will be a top-class player, so I’m happy because today what I feel is this is one of the best performances we played this season.

“To play better than we played today is difficult but in knockout games, or cup finals, or Arsenal in the (League Cup) final, we need to be more clinical in front of goal or we will be in trouble.

“We create an amazing amount of joy — to watch these guys play, the joy they have to play in that way — but we miss a lot of chances and against the top teams it will be a problem if we are not able to improve.”

The post Guardiola repeats call for player protection as City forge ahead appeared first on World Soccer Talk.

from World Soccer Talk http://ift.tt/2nqAW81