..::Football III::..

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Blatter & Platini banned for EIGHT years


Fifa president Sepp Blatter and his Uefa counterpart Michel Platini have both been banned from all football-related activity for eight years with immediate effect, the Independent Ethics Committee of world football's governing body has confirmed.

Both men were provisionally suspended in October in relation to a payment of CHF 2,000,000 (£1.34m) from Fifa - and authorised by Blatter - to Platini in February 2011.Blatter and Platini claimed this related to work carried out by the former France captain for Fifa between 1999 and 2002, citing a "gentleman's agreement".

However, in its ruling published on Monday, the adjudicatory chamber of the
Ethics Committee said that the payment had "no legal basis in the written agreement signed between both officials on 25 August 1999". Furthermore, Blatter's assertion of an oral agreement was "determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber".

The 79-year-old Swiss, who had already announced his intention to stand down before February's FIFA presidential elections, has been fined 50,000 Swiss francs, with Platini fined 80,000 Swiss francs.

 

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Hoda wade Blatter ta​

 

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United fans' belief being tested - Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has admitted that the belief of Manchester United fans is being tested by the team's current slump.

Saturday's lacklustre 2-1 loss at home to Norwich City extended United's current winless run to six matches across all competitions and left them fifth in the Premier League - nine points shy of surprise leaders Leicester City.

United's style of play under Van Gaal has come in for growing criticism among a section of the club's fanbase and media reports in the UK have linked them with a move for the recently available Jose Mourinho, who parted company with Chelsea last Thursday amid a dismal title defence.

But following a brief encounter with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in the aftermath of the Norwich loss, Van Gaal believes he still has backing at boardroom level.

"Ed was very fast out of the dressing room but I feel that support, yes," the Dutchman told reporters.

"The most important support is from the players because the players have to do it on the pitch and the chemistry between the players and the manager and his staff is very important.

"Of course the belief of the fans in the manager is also very important. Last year we had only 13 points, after 10 games and they believed in me."Now we are in a bad period, we have lost three matches in a row, and their belief has been tested."

 

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Ranieri: No pressure on Leicester

Claudio Ranieri insists there is no pressure on Leicester City to maintain their unlikely Premier League title bid.

The Foxes head into the Christmas period top of the league, sitting five points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who face Manchester City on Monday.

Ranieri, though, says that it is a lack of pressure that is getting the best out of his team, who have not lost in the Premier League since September.

"I have managed a lot of top teams and there were a lot of great players. Maybe here there aren't those great players but there is a team with great spirit," said Ranieri, the former Chelsea, Valencia, Juventus, Roma, Inter, Monaco and Greece boss.

"And I believe there are great players inside them, which nobody saw before.

"To do this is okay for one, two three matches not for six months.

"Last season they had stress not this year.

"I think they enjoy it and they must continue this way. If we make something special it is a miracle. If it doesn't happen it is a miracle anyway: so enjoy and play."

Ranieri has also dismissed any possibility of selling his best players in January, as Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea reportedly line up for the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, but says new signings are also unlikely.

"I have a very good team, and a very good team spirit; they are friendly with each and they help each other. If you get one, two three [new] players you might break the dressing room," he said.

 

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Mata: Man Utd players not giving fans what they deserve

Juan Mata admits that Manchester United fans deserve better performances from their side, but has vowed to do all he can to ensure the club recover from an awful run of form.

United were beaten 2-1 by Norwich City at Old Trafford on Saturday, with manager Louis van Gaal coming under intense pressure following the loss.

Fans chanted Jose Mourinho’s name during the game and, with the Portuguese available as a potential immediate replacement to the Dutchman, reports have since claimed that Van Gaal must guide his side to victory over Stoke City on Boxing Day or face the sack.

Mata played the entire 90 minutes against Alex Neil’s newly-promoted side and readily concedes that he and his team-mates are stuck in a rut, and are currently letting the Old Trafford faithful down.

“No matter how tough the situation can be, I'm not even thinking about giving up. That's my attitude day after day, I try to give the maximum regardless of things going well or bad. I believe that's the only way to get out of this bad streak: keep working hard and sooner or later we will get the results that we want,” he wrote in a personal blog post.

“It's time to prepare the next game, show our strength as a group and make the most of all these fixtures in the Christmas period so we can start a good run of results.

“We are really disappointed for not giving you what you deserve, because your support is amazing and unconditional, but I'm sure that we will turn this situation around.”

United’s clash with Stoke later this week takes on added importance given the uncertainty over Van Gaal’s future, and Mata says United must win a game “as soon as possible”.

“I was confident that we were going to get the three points on Saturday in Old Trafford, but that was not the case,” he wrote. “We are in a complicated situation and in order to get out of it we have to stick together and believe in ourselves so we can get a positive result.

“We all feel frustrated, same as last week, and we need to win a game as quickly as possible because it will change our mood and give us confidence, I'm sure of that. Our next chance to do it will be in Boxing Day at Stoke, and that's not an easy game.”

 

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Messi happy to be pain-free in Club World Cup triumph

Lionel Messi has outlined his journey from sickbed to Club World Cup winner for a third time.

The Barcelona superstar missed his team's semi-final triumph over Guangzhou Evergrande after being struck down with renal colic – a type of abdominal pain commonly caused by the kidney stones.

But Messi returned to Luis Enrique's starting line-up for Sunday's final against River Plate in Yokohama, opening the scoring before a Luis Suarez brace ensured Barca ran out 3-0 winners.

The Spanish and European champions are the first three-time winners of the global crown, adding this year's success to titles collected in 2009 and 2011.

Messi is now the only player to score in three Club World Cup finals, and was relieved to have been passed fit for Sunday's match."There was no more pain and that was really important," he told reporters.

"It was really horrible pain. I was practically in bed the whole day without being able to move."In the second half I felt my legs a little bit but the important thing was not to have any pain."

The victory over River Plate means Barcelona swept the board in 2015, having also claimed La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League and European Super Cup glory.

Atletico Madrid's defeat to Malaga on Sunday means the Catalan giants head into the winter break leading the way in Spain's top flight, with Messi hungry for yet more success."I'm happy, happy for everything - happy to keep making history with this great club," he added.

"Let's hope we can just keep winning more, of course."It's special because it's the World Club Cup and we come out as the best team in the world once again. To win that for another year is really impressive.

"The more trophies we can win, the better. We know it's more difficult every year.
"We'll try to fight for everything like we do every season, we're really excited about it."

 

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Business as usual for Van Gaal as Mourinho rumours intensify

Louis van Gaal will help to serve up Christmas dinner to his Manchester United players on Monday as planned, despite intense speculation he could soon be replaced as manager by Jose Mourinho.

United have failed to win in their last six matches in all competitions, with Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Norwich City marking a third straight loss.

Mourinho’s sacking by Chelsea on Thursday and current availability has prompted intense speculation linking the Portuguese to the United hotseat should Van Gaal be sacked, with the 64-year-old admitting on Saturday that he fears for his job.

“Yes, of course I am worried about my job,” Van Gaal told a post-match press conference.

“I know belief in a manager is very important. And when you lose the belief in the manager decreases. That is happening now, and I can’t close my eyes to that.”

However, Van Gaal is intent on carrying on as planned and will partake in United’s annual Christmas dinner celebrations at their Carrington training complex on Monday.

United return to the field on Boxing Day with a trip to Stoke City and will then host Mourinho's former side Chelsea two days later at Old Trafford.

Mourinho was spotted in the stands at Brighton on Saturday as Chris Hughton’s side lost to Middlesbrough with United’s on-loan striker James Wilson in the starting XI.

The Portuguese announced in a statement over the weekend that he is keen to return to management as soon as possible, insisting he is “not tired”.

 

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I know where Guardiola is going - Rummenigge


Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has hinted he knows where Pep Guardiola will end up after he leaves the Bundesliga side at the end of the season.

On Sunday, Rummenigge confirmed Guardiola would leave Bayern when his contract expires at the end of the season and will be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti .
The 44-year-old has been heavily tipped to move to the Premier League, with Manchester City viewed as favourites on account of former Barcelona board members Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano serving as director of football and chief executive respectively at the Etihad Stadium.

But City boss Manuel Pellegrini is under contract until the end of the 2016-17 campaign and Jose Mourinho's departure from Chelsea, along with Manchester United's ailing form under Louis van Gaal, has prompted links between Guardiola and the latter two clubs.

With the intrigue set to build over the coming months, Rummenigge believes he has already seen Guardiola's hand.

"I think I know where he is going," Rummenigge told Bild . "But I want to leave the announcement to him or his new employer.

"At the Christmas party two weeks ago he came to me, he told me that he was looking for a new challenge and almost apologised. It was clearly difficult for him, I'm not disappointed in him."I could see that Guardiola had really grown to love Bayern and its fans."

Bayern are on course to claim a third Bundesliga title in three seasons under Guardiola, but Rummenigge harbours high hopes for the future under three-time Champions League-winning coach Ancelotti.

"Carlo Ancelotti has been successful everywhere," he said."He has won the Champions League three times. That is still a record and of course he has all the qualities.

"He suits us, as simple as that. Half of Europe was after him."

 

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Bale: Real Madrid players are not robots

Despite beating Rayo Vallecano 10-2 on Sunday, Gareth Bale insists Real Madrid are not infallible "robots" who are designed to win every match.

The Welshman scored four goals as Rafael Benitez's side bounced back from a 1-0 loss at Villarreal in their previous outing by demolishing Rayo.

And Bale insisted the players cannot always perform perfectly, but is confident there will be improvement as the campaign continues."That's football. We're not robots. At times you switch off," he said.

"Even so, we had chances in the game against Villarreal to score four or five."We have to do more of everything. As the season goes on we'll get better.

"We get along well with Benitez and we'll carry on working and training hard.
"It was good to win just before the Christmas break."

Madrid sit third in La Liga, two points adrift of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, though the former have a game in hand.

 

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Del Bosque: Spain future not in my hands

Vicente del Bosque has distanced himself from claims he will step down as Spain coach after Euro 2016, stating that the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will have the final say.

In an extract from his book 'Winning and Losing: Emotional Strength' the 64-year-old, who guided Spain to the World Cup trophy in 2010 and the European Championship title in 2012, wrote he would leave his position following next year's tournament in France.

However, the former Real Madrid boss has since insisted his future is in the hands of the RFEF, and says the decision of whether he will continue belongs in their hands.

"When I talk to the president we will solve everything. Things should not be decided on whether you win or you lose," Del Bosque said at his book launch.

"There are six months until the European Championship, I am a man of the federation and foremost I have to put myself in their hands to make the final decision."

The Spain coach also offered his opinion on Gerard Pique and Alvaro Arbeloa, who have traded barbs following a tweet from the Barcelona defender which was deemed to have mocked Real Madrid following their Copa del Rey disqualification for fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev.

Del Bosque admits the wounds may still be ra,w but does not envision the matter causing any problems for the national team."It's a matter from outside [the Spain camp]. It's a conflict which comes from the past," Del Bosque added.

"For us, [it is important] that it does not harm the atmosphere in the national team. I don't see a problem for us at the moment."

 

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Giggs deserves to replace Van Gaal, says Round

Manchester United should turn to Ryan Giggs when the time comes to replace Louis van Gaal as manager, the club's former assistant boss Steve Round has said.
The Old Trafford side have fallen out of the top four in the Premier League as well as crashing out of the Champions League and League Cup as part of a run of just three wins in 13 games.

Those results have piled the pressure on Van Gaal and prompted speculation linking sacked Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola – who will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season – with the job.

But Round, who was part of David Moyes' coaching team with Giggs, feels it is only right that the Welshman becomes United's next manager.

"I would hope so, I think that is the right and proper succession plan for Manchester United," he said to Sky Sports when asked if Giggs would be the next to fill the role.

"Ryan was an absolutely magnificent player; he is certainly one of the best players I have ever worked with in the short period of time I was there. He was phenomenal, even at 39 years of age.

"Then he has stepped into coaching. With us he was part-coach, part-player and now he has stepped into being an assistant manager - the natural progression for him is to go on to be a manager.

"You would assume that would be at Manchester United; that is what they are grooming him for and getting him ready to take over eventually when that time comes. "I think that is only right and proper - he needs and deserves to have that opportunity.

"Manchester United, to move forward, need to give him a chance to either succeed and thrive or fail and move away. I think that is part of the process and journey on Ryan Giggs' career path."

 

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Giggs deserves to replace Van Gaal, says Round

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Courtois confident Hiddink can lead Chelsea back

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is confident Guus Hiddink can lead the Premier League champions back up the table in the remainder of the season.

Hiddink was appointed as manager until the end of the season after Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties last week, and Courtois is keen to start working with the Dutchman."He was here before, he did very well and I think he's a very good manager," Courtois told Chelsea's official website.

"Hopefully together we can climb back up the table and we're looking forward to starting working with him. We know we have to react, we've started well with the win over Sunderland and have to move forward.

"Whatever has happened stays in the past and now we want to work hard with the new manager to get a good result against Watford."

"We saw last year that we have a lot of quality, we were champions because of that. I don't think a lot has changed since then. We, as a club and players, are used to being at the top of the table, so hopefully step by step we can climb back up and see where we finish at the end of the season."Courtois was quick to stress Mourinho was not solely responsible for Chelseas struggles so far, however.

"Obviously when a manager goes it's a difficult situation," he added."Everybody is sad about what happened because we haven't played well and won games, so we have to react and do better.

"Obviously we don't play to lose but we are responsible as well, we have top players, so we shouldn’t be 15th in the league."

 

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Pedro backs Fabregas to recover after 'difficult' boos

Chelsea attacker Pedro is confident Cesc Fabregas can overcome a "difficult" day at Stamford Bridge after he was booed by his own supporters against Sunderland on Saturday.

The midfielder's name – along with that of Diego Costa – was jeered by home fans ahead of the 3-1 Premier League win over Sunderland, which was the first game following Jose Mourinho's departure.Costa, Fabregas and Eden Hazard were also named as "three rats" in a crowd banner that appeared to suggest the trio were responsible for Mourinho's exit.

But Pedro, who scored in the victory, thinks his team-mate, who he also played alongside at Barcelona, has the mental strength to come through a tough period.

"It was difficult for him, but he can get through this," the 28-year-old told The Standard.

"He is strong mentally and very competitive. Cesc is a top player, a very good character in the team, he is a winner and it is good he plays for us."I understand why the fans are so upset. It is normal when the team and coach are in this position. It was certainly difficult for the players, but it was an important win.

"The supporters have been good to us this season. They have always been with us, together. I don't say anything against them, they are part of us."Pedro revealed that the whole squad have found it hard to cope with the departure of Mourinho.

He added: "Jose Mourinho is a very good coach. It is a difficult situation for everyone."

 

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Mata: Manchester United not even thinking of giving up

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has little doubt they will return to winning ways sooner rather than later, saying they must not become affected by recent poor results.Louis van Gaal's men are on a six-game winless streak in all competitions, and were beaten in each of their last three matches in all competitions.

However, Mata is not giving up hopes of challenging for top honours this campaign, and has vowed to give his all to help United get back on track.

"We are in a complicated situation and in order to get out of it we have to stick together and believe in ourselves so we can get a positive result as soon as possible," the Spain international wrote on his blog.

"We all feel frustrated, the same as last week, and we need to win a game as quickly as possible because it will change our mood and give us confidence."I'm sure that we will turn this situation around. Our next chance to do it will be on Boxing Day at Stoke and that's not an easy game.

"No matter how tough the situation can be, I'm not even thinking about giving up. That's my attitude day after day, I try to give the maximum regardless of things going well or bad."I believe that's the only way to get out of this bad streak – keep working hard and sooner or later we will get the results that we want."

United have dropped to fifth place in the Premier League following their recent struggles, trailing leaders Leicester City by nine points.

 

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Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City: Walcott and Giroud see off Pellegrini’s men

Arsenal came out on top in the battle of Premier League title favourites as goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Leicester City will top the table at Christmas, but Monday's clash could be pivotal in the title race as Arsene Wenger's side moved four points clear of City in second place.

Walcott's stunning effort - Arsenal's first shot on target - lit up a cagey first period, and Giroud neatly converted their second on the stroke of half-time to give the hosts a comfortable cushion.

Sergio Aguero was subdued on his return to lead the City attack, lasting 63 minutes on his first outing in five games.

Yaya Toure reduced the arrears with 10 minutes to go with an astonishing strike, but City's late charge fell flat and they have now failed to win any of their last five away games in the league.

Manuel Pellegrini's side host Sunderland on Boxing Day before what now looks a daunting trip to Leicester two days later with their hopes of regaining the Premier League now flagging.

City ought to have taken the lead in the opening period and will likely look back at two Kevin De Bruyne chances as the game slipped from their grasp.

De Bruyne saw two chances go begging as City routinely threatened on the counter attack. Petr Cech got down to his left to deny the Belgium international, who ought to have done better shortly afterwards as Aguero's neat pass released him in the right channel, but he fired wide from an angle, ignoring the unmarked Silva in the middle.

Arsenal immediately made the visitors pay for De Bruyne's misses, with Walcott opening the scoring in sublime fashion. Mesut Ozil fed the winger near the left-hand corner of the penalty box and the England man cut onto his right foot before beating Joe Hart with a curled strike into the far corner.

Wenger's men doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time after Eliaquim Mangala lost possession inside his own half and Ozil punished slack marking to send Giroud into the penalty area with his 15th Premier League assist of the season, the Frenchman evading Nicolas Otamendi's tackle before finding the net with a powerful finish through Hart's legs.

Again impressive on the right flank in the absence of Alexis Sanchez, Joel Campbell should have made it three shortly after the break as he burst into the penalty area, but Hart kept City’s hopes alive, sticking his right leg out to thwart the Costa Rica winger.

The Manchester City goalkeeper was again called into action at the hour mark after a slick Arsenal move involving Ozil, Campbell and Aaron Ramsey and did a fine job to deny the latter from close range.

Toure fired City back in it with a superb finish into the top corner, which Cech could only watch drift into the top-left corner, but the hosts were rarely troubled as the visitors' attempts to salvage a draw fizzled out.

 

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Arsenal patta​

 

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Wenger reveals Alexis injury setback

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger revealed his star forward Alexis Sanchez has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The former Barcelona star sustained his injury against Norwich last month but was given a slim chance of being fit enough to take some part in his side's top of the table clash against Manchester City on Monday evening, but was not even named in the matchday squad.

"Sanchez I think will be back around the 10th of January. He has had a slight setback two days ago. We had planned to put him on the bench tonight," Wenger said following his side's 2-1 victory over Manuel Pellegrini's side.

Arsenal cemented their place as Leicester City's nearest challengers with an impressive win over City which came courtesy of goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud.

Wenger's side will be without Alexis, however, for the Boxing Day trip to Southampton as well as upcoming home games against Bournemouth and Newcastle.

But last season's top goalscorer could be back in time for the game against Sunderland in the third round of the FA Cup, as the Gunners begin the defence of the trophy that have won two years in a row.

 

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Klopp's first signing Grujic to inherit Gerrard's No.8 shirt at Liverpool

Liverpool are expecting to wrap up a deal for Marko Grujic in time for Christmas, according to Red Star Belgrade sporting director Zvezdan Terzic.

The 19-year-old will ink a five-year contract, with an annual salary of €1.2 million, and is eyeing the No.8 shirt left vacant following former captain Steven Gerrard's departure to LA Galaxy.

Grujic will be loaned straight back to the SuperLiga leaders, with the Reds receiving a fee of €1 million for the temporary arrangement. Their initial outlay for the midfielder is thus understood to be €6 million.

Terzic has labelled this as record business for Red Star.

"We will in the next three days sign a contract with Liverpool,” he said on national Serbian TV.

"It was a record transfer. Marko Grujic will sign a five-year contract with Liverpool where he will have a €1,200,000 annual net income, which means that he will have six million from Liverpool. He'll get eight on the back."

As Goal first revealed at the start of December, the Reds had been tracking the starlet along with several of Europe’s elite.

Inter were thought to be in pole position to land the talented youngster, but Liverpool moved speedily to convince him Anfield should be his next destination.

Jurgen Klopp spoke to Grujic as well as his agent, emphasising the club’s dedication to developing potential. The Merseysiders were also able to agree a payment structure and 10 per cent sell-on clause which pleased Red Star.

Goal detailed how Liverpool ousted Inter in negotiations last week to make the Under-20 World Cup winner the first signing of Klopp’s tenure at the club.