Players
Why Wilfried Zaha is no longer taking the knee
Wilfried Zaha became the first Premier League player not to kneel before kick-off on Saturday since top-flight footballers started using the gesture to protest racial injustice last summer. The Crystal Palace winger instead chose to “stand tall” ahead of the match with West Brom, something he had said in February he was going to do but hadn’t started a game since then due to injury. Zaha released a statement ahead of kick-off outlining his intention to do so and his reasons for it. What he said “My decision to stand at kick-off has been public knowledge for a couple of weeks now,” the Ivorian international said. “There is no right or wrong decision, but for me personally I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or ...
Graeme Souness blasts Liverpool over defeat to Fulham
Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness, slammed his old team’s performance for defeat to Fulham. The Reds put in another flat performance despite the extensive changes, with a late first-half strike from Mario Lemina giving Scott Parker’s side a huge three points in their quest for survival. “It’s been disappointing,” said Souness. “You’ve got a group of players who will be looking to tell the manager by their performances ‘we should really be in the starting 11.’ That has not happened today from any of them. “They have been a shadow [of their former selves]. There is one word I associate with Liverpool for the last three years:, intensity. They were a team you didn’t want to play against. Now it is a team that are an easy touch, and that is unacceptable. “It is unfathomable. I struggle to say i...
Arsenal provide update on Smith Rowe ahead of Burnley clash
Arsenal have this evening revealed a late update on the fitness of Emile Smith Rowe, ahead of their showdown with Burnley. Mikel Arteta’s men are set to return to action tomorrow afternoon, in a Premier League meeting with the Clarets. The Gunners will of course head into the Turf Moor clash with their tails up, on the back of a morale boosting pair of wins over the last couple of weeks. First, a last-gasp Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang header saw Arsenal get the better of Benfica, to book their spot in the Last-16 of the Europa League. And this was followed last weekend by a hugely impressive 3-1 downing of Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The news, as a whole, proved of a positive nature, with only two players – including 3rd-choice goalkeeper Alex Runarsson – struggling as things st...
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid ordered to further tighten belts by La Liga
FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will have to cut down the costs of their squads by more than 35 million euros ($42.14 million) following new salary limits imposed by La Liga on Tuesday to cope with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures, published twice annually following each transfer window, dictate how much teams can spend on players, coaches, support staff and their youth teams. They are calculated in line with revenues, which have been obliterated by coronavirus restrictions preventing fans from attending matches for 12 months while depressing the transfer market and reducing income from merchandising. Barcelona are the club most acutely affected by the new limits and will be forced to reduce their costs by an additional 35.7 million euros, to 347 million. League ...
Ex-VP Namadi Sambo advocates shift in Nigerian educational system
Reuters Former Vice President Namadi Sambo has advocated for a dynamic approach of the Nigerian educational system to produce employees with skills and ability to handle complex jobs and create opportunities for others. Sambo made the call in his goodwill message at the 22nd Matriculation of Igbinedion University, Okada, on Saturday in Edo. The former vice president noted that it was the best time for the country to refocus from one size-fits-all approach that creates employees that are not fit for complex jobs. According to him, Nigerian universities must refocus on building of graduates that will create and end poverty among the people and ultimately close the wide social inequality and promote social coefficient in the communities. “As a nation, we must focus our educational system to o...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Brazil legend Ronaldo ‘the best player in history’
Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has named Brazil legend Ronaldo as ‘the best player in history’. Ibrahimovic expressed his admiration towards the World Cup winner ahead of Milan’s Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, while putting him ahead of modern-day greats such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time list of top players. The 39-year-old thinks Ronaldo Nazario, who inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, transcended the game with his unique talents and still stands out as the unrivalled master of the footballing craft to this day. Zlatan told Discovery Plus: “I don’t need to describe Ronaldo, ‘The Phenomenon’. “I always say you have the players that play the game, and the players that are the game. For me, Ronaldo is the game. When you watch him...
Tottenham players unhappy with Jose Mourinho methods
Tottenham Hotspur players are reportedly frustrated with Jose Mourinho’s training methods a scenario which has split the dressing room. Mourinho is under pressure following a return of 12 points from Tottenham’s last 12 Premier League games. Spurs were knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup at the last-16 stage by Everton earlier this month, though they are still in the Europa League and through to April’s EFL Cup final. However, The Athletic claims that Mourinho is losing support from some key members of his squad due to the way that he works. The former Manchester United and Chelsea boss is said to have drastically altered the approach taken by predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, whom he replaced in November 2019, by easing the workload on his players – something that has not gone down well ami...
Australia’s competition chief claims victory after Facebook standoff
The architect of Australian media reforms being watched around the world claimed victory on Wednesday, even as critics said concessions to the laws forcing Big Tech to pay for news content have given Facebook and Google a get-out clause. The Australian government made late changes to the laws after Facebook last week blocked news content in Australia, escalating a dispute over the proposed legislation and catching international attention. The amended legislation is expected to pass the Senate this week, despite opposition from some minor opposition parties and independent politicians who argue it disadvantages smaller news companies. Rod Sims, the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), told Reuters the bargaining power imbalance he was tasked with correcting...
Robert Lewandowski discusses potential move to MLS
Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski has said he knows a lot about MLS but wouldn’t be drawn on a possible move to North America in the future. Lewandowski’s wife has said in the past that her husband is interested in ending his career in Los Angeles, which is no doubt intriguing to both LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. Although the 32-year-old isn’t closing any doors, he has indicated that he is not thinking much about his long-term future right now. In an interview with CBS Sports, the Bayern star said: “Playing in the USA? I don’t know because I don’t know what it means for me and when. For sure I know a lot about MLS because a few Polish players and also German players played there and they talk to me about the life there, but also about MLS. “They say that every year there is a step up ...
Leon Balogun impresses at right back in Europa League for Rangers
Super Eagles center back Leon Balogun impressed in a right-back role as Rangers won in a seven -goal thriller in the Europa League round of 32 clash against Royal Antwerp at Bosuilstadion on Thursday night. With 24 minutes played, the Nigeria international came off the bench to replace Rangers skipper James Tavernier, who was not able to continue due to an injury. The right-back position is not entirely new to Balogun as he has played in that role for the national team, Mainz and Brighton & Hove. In fact, he made his debut for the Super Eagles as a right-back when he replaced Efe Ambrose in the second half of a pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico in March 2014. “I was back to an old role and I was happy I can still play it,” Balogun said at yesterday’s press conference. “I think the ...
Chelsea boss takes blame for Hakim Ziyech struggles at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has shouldered the blame for Hakim Ziyech’s stalled progress at Stamford Bridge, challenging the midfielder to fight for his place in the team. Morocco international Ziyech, who signed in July, has only featured twice so far under Tuchel, leading to suggestions the former Ajax star could seek a summer exit. But Tuchel is adamant he will need to call on Ziyech as the hectic season unfolds. “It is my fault actually, not his,” Tuchel said on Friday. “It is my hard decisions at the moment as well for Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and for Christian Pulisic sometimes in the half positions where we seem the strongest. “It is the same for Hakim at the moment and for some other players — there were hard decisions to make. It is never easy but it is a good thing, we have...
RB Leipzig boss: Liverpool players knew they were lucky
RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann dismissed Liverpool’s performance for last night’s victory over the Germans. Liverpool took full advantage of errors in Leipzig’s defence to go ahead through a quick-fire double from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the second half. The away win at Budapest’s Puskas Arena puts the Reds in control of the Champions League last-16 tie, but Leipzig boss Nagelsmann was not convinced his side were second-best. “When you win, you’re always right,” he said. “We earned a lot of respect in the 90 minutes. “And what I noticed when I left the field, the Liverpool players did not use the words “deserved victory”. “We were definitely not worse and certainly not by two goals.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for D...
