Barcelona deny reports of Griezmann agreement

MADRID: Barcelona have “strongly” denied claims made by Spanish daily Sport on Saturday that they have reached an agreement to sign Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid at the end of the season.
“The Atletico Madrid forward has agreed to join Barcelona and will be under (coach) Ernesto Valverde’s orders next season,” Sport said, adding that Griezmann’s current buy-out clause of 200 million euros ($240 million) drops by half on July 1.

However, Barcelona later took the unusual step of releasing a statement to deny the reports from the Catalan newspaper.

“FC Barcelona strongly denies the information that has appeared over the course of the last few hours in different media regarding Atletico Madrid player, Antoine Griezmann, and an alleged deal with our club,” said the statement on the Catalan club’s website.

Such a reaction can be explained by the fact that Atletico have complained to FIFA about “repeated contacts” between Barca and the France striker.

“FC Barcelona expresses its objections in the face of these events and reiterates its full respect for the institution of Atletico Madrid,” added the statement.

Barcelona have been scrambling to add high-quality players to their squad since Paris Saint-Germain lured Brazilian star Neymar to France in a world-record signing last August.

Philippe Coutinho joined from Liverpool this month in a 180 million-euro ($220 million) deal.

Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, Valverde played down the transfer talk at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Betis in La Liga.

“Griezmann is a great player who plays for another club whom we respect,” he said.

“When the transfer window is open, we are in a world where there is speculation on a daily basis and we have to live with that.

“But if you’re asking me if Griezmann is a good player, well obviously he is a good player. But I repeat what I always say: I prefer to talk about my own players.”
Sport says it believes Griezmann’s transfer will take place after the World Cup in Russia, where he will have a key role for France, who are among the favourites.

Another Catalan daily, Mundo Deportivo, reported in December that the player’s family had lunch with the Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu to smooth the way for the transfer.
Brazilian born Spain striker Diego Costa joined Atletico from Chelsea in September, and has proved to be the club’s top performer since his debut two weeks ago.
Barcelona, whose stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta are all in their thirties, signed Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund for 105 million euros last summer, but the 20-year-old French rising star’s campaign has been marred by injury.

AFP

Footballer Jose Angulo banned for four years by CAS

LONDON – Ecuadorian football player Jose Angulo had his ban for testing positive for cocaine raised from one year to four years on Monday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld FIFA’s appeal against his original sanction. 

Angulo, who joined Spanish club Granada last year but never played for them, failed a drug test with his former Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle after the first leg of the final of the Copa Libertadores in July 2016.

 

He was suspended for 12 months by a tribunal of south American confederation CONMEBOL but FIFA appealed against that punishment in April this year.

“Following the appeal of FIFA, CAS heard the parties and scientific experts on 31 October 2017,” a statement said.

“The CAS Panel in charge of the arbitration has determined that the facts submitted by the player did not match with the evidence produced by the scientific experts, has set aside the CONMEBOL decision and replaced it with a new decision in which José Enrique Angulo Caicedo is sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility, commencing on 20 July 2016.”

Angulo, 22, returned to Independiente del Valle after his ill-fated move to Granada.

FIFA panel bans three former soccer officials for life

ZURICH – FIFA’s ethics watchdogs have banned three former soccer officials from Guam, Nicaragua and Venezuela for life as part of efforts to address widespread corruption in the sport, the world football governing body said on Tuesday.

The latest officials to be hit by FIFA bans are Richard Lai, the former Guam Football Association president and a former member of the FIFA audit and compliance committee; Julio Rocha, the former Nicaraguan Football Association president and a former FIFA development officer; and Rafael Esquivel, former Venezuelan Football Association president.

All three men had pleaded guilty in the United States to separate federal charges ranging from wire fraud to racketeering and money laundering.

(Reuters)

Soccer – Wayne Rooney admits being three times drink-drive limit – but is told to pay £170

Wayne Rooney, the former England captain, has apologised for an “unforgivable lack of judgment” after pleading guilty to drink-driving.

The Everton striker was given a two-year driving ban and ordered to carry out unpaid community work after being caught three times the legal alcohol limit on a night out while his pregnant wife and their three sons were on holiday.
After admitting the charge on Monday morning, Rooney was also told to pay £170 – made up of prosecution costs and a victim surcharge. It is a figure he can earn by working just 12 minutes of his reported £150,000-a-week earnings.
The 31-year-old was stopped by police while driving a black Volkswagen Beetle belonging to Laura Simspon – a woman the court heard he had met while socialising with friends – in Wilmslow, Cheshire, at 2am on September 1.

Rooney was later arrested and bailed. After entering his guilty plea at Stockport Magistrates’ Court, Rooney issued a statement apologising for his “unforgivable lack of judgment”.

The court was told that a breathalyser test measured Rooney’s alcohol level to be 104 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath. The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

In addition to the £170 costs, Rooney was given a two-year driving ban and ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order.

The court heard that Rooney also expects to be fined two weeks’ wages by Everton FC.

Rooney has agreed to take part in a drink-driving rehabilitation course, which could reduce his driving ban by 24 weeks, his lawyer said

‘I hope I can make some amends’: Rooney’s statement

In a statement issued after his plea, Rooney said: “Following today’s court hearing I want publicly to apologise for my unforgivable lack of judgment in driving while over the legal limit. It was completely wrong.

“I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologise to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career.

“Of course I accept the sentence of the court and hope that I can make some amends through my community service.”

Rooney’s legal team had asked District Judge John Temperley to consider not imposing a community order because of his ongoing charitable work.

However, the judge said he was “not convinced” that imposing a large fine “would have the same effect”.

Rooney was told to pay £85 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge for the same amount.

Judge decides to order unpaid work rather than issue fine

Judge Temperley said Rooney’s remorse had been “genuine”, after the footballer wrote a personal letter to him expressing apologising for the incident.

“This is serious crime you have committed,” he said. “You were three times over the drink drive limit.

“I take on board that you are a young man with no previous convictions. I want to make it clear that I’ve read a bundle of character references which speak of you very highly.

“I’ve also read your letter to me and I accept that your remorse is genuine. Despite everything I’ve heard, I’m not convinced that a hefty fine would be as punitive a sentence as a community order.”

Mike Rainford, representing Rooney, said that Everton Football Club had also confirmed that it would be taking “its own sanctions” against him, and that he expected to be docked two weeks’ wages for the incident.

Police officer smelled alcohol on Rooney’s breath

Prosecuting Kate Gaskell told the court that Rooney had been three times over the drink drive limit when he was stopped.

She added that Rooney had been recognised by Pc Jackson, a local police officer, while driving home from a night out.

Ms Gaskell told the court how the footballer had voluntarily “pulled up on the left hand side of the road”.

After getting out of the vehicle, Pc Jackson smelled “intoxicants on his breath”, he said, and conducted a roadside breathalyser test.

Mr Rainford said that “the facts laid out by the prosecution are accepted in full by Mr Rooney”.

“Mr Rooney pulled over himself,” he said. “He did not try to evade or anything of that nature. He was fully compliant at the roadside and later on at the police station, so much so that police officers remarked that he was a perfect gentleman.

“The weather conditions were fine… and in relation to the condition of his driving there was nothing unacceptable. Mr Rooney is a young man with no previous convictions.

Mr Rainford added that Rooney had been contrite throughout the incident, and that his personal letter to Judge Temperley had shown that he was “genuinely remorseful” over what had happened.

“His contrition was show by his manner on the night… and also in the letter he has sent.” He added that Rooney recognised that his actions had not just “let himself down”, but also his family, fans, and the young people “who look up to him”.

Mr Rainford added that that the incident had generated “unbelievable media focus” and asked that Judge Temperley consider this when sentencing.

Lawyer argues Rooney already spends ‘considerable time’ helping community

He also pointed out to the court that Rooney had spent “considerable time and resources engaging in community and charity work, including for the NSPCC, his own foundation and charities partnered with Everton Football Club”.

“This is somebody who is hands-on and engages with the young people,” he added. “A lot of people don’t appreciate that… and he doesn’t shout it from the rooftops.

“But he gives his time… for those less fortunate than himself over the last 10 to 15 years.

“He is likely to be fined by his employer, Everton, which he believes will be to dock two weeks wages. They have confirmed that they will be taking their own sanctions.

“Wayne will not shirk his responsibilities. But sir I would ask you to consider what he is doing in the community, which is a lot more than most.

“He is a man of very fine qualities, it has to be said, but he knows he has to do better in the future.”

Shortly after the court hearing Rooney also tweeted his statement of apology to his 16.3 million followers.

Wearing a blue suit and with his hands in his pockets, Rooney arrived at court at about 9.30am accompanied by a small entourage.

He made no comment as was met by photographers and reporters outside. Sitting in the court galley, Rooney stood to confirm his name, age and address.

Rooney left soon after the hearing at about 11am.

Rooney was arrested by Cheshire Police after officers pulled him over on Altrincham Road and was released on bail later that day.

He had been pictured in a selfie with cricketer Jack McIver in the Bubble Room bar in Alderley Edge the evening before his arrest.

Mr McIver shared the photo on Instagram at around 10pm on August 31, with the comment: “International Break #legend.”

Rooney was given a warm welcome at Old Trafford on his return to former club Manchester United on Sunday, but it ended in disappointment with a 4-0 defeat for his boyhood club Everton, which he rejoined during the summer break.

He has been married to his high-school sweetheart Coleen since 2008 and they have three children together.

Mrs Rooney recently announced she is pregnant with their fourth child.

 

FIFA vice-president and head of Spain’s soccer federation arrested

Madrid: The head of Spain’s soccer federation (RFEF) Angel Maria Villar, a FIFA vice-president, was arrested on Tuesday after a raid on several offices in Madrid as part of an anti-corruption investigation, police said.

Villar, his son — named by Spanish media as Gorka — and several other Spanish soccer federation members were detained on allegations of collusion, fraud and embezzlement, the police said in a statement.

Spain’s High Court said one of its investigating magistrates and anti-corruption prosecutors were leading the investigation.

The RFEF could not be reached for comment.

Villar, a one-time midfielder for Athletic Bilbao, has been at the head of the federation for nearly 30 years.

He was fined 25,000 Swiss francs ($26,000) last year by FIFA’s Ethics Committee for failing to co-operate with an investigation into the contest to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups that triggered the worst crisis in the soccer world governing body’s history.

Villar is also a vice-president of UEFA and ran for the presidency of that body last year to replace Frenchman Michel Platini before withdrawing, after being asked to stand for re-election at the RFEF.

FIFA and UEFA said in separate statements they were aware of media reports surrounding Villar but had no further comment.

The investigation into Villar is already several months old and stems from claims raised by the Spanish state’s sports body in early 2016, police said.

At least four people were arrested in Tuesday’s raids, according to police.

They included another member of the RFEF and an executive from the Tenerife soccer association, who are accused of misappropriating funds and siphoning them off to a company they both manage, police said.

The RFEF is due to hold an assembly on July 20 to approve the match schedule for Spain’s next La Liga soccer season, a meeting usually presided over by Villar.

Chinese owner of Czech football club Slavia Prague confirms purchase of stadium completed

Prague:

Mainland conglomerate CEFC China Energy, which owns one of Czech Republic’s top football clubs Slavia Prague, has confirmed that the purchase of the club’s stadium is completed.

CEFC China Energy, ranked as one of the mainland’s ten largest private companies by China Daily in 2014, will make Eden Arena in Prague the home ground of the football club.

“We are not plundering the football market or talents, but making friends and seeking mutual development,” said CEFC’s founder Ye Jianming, who is actively expanding his business overseas.

The company will invest €49.6 million (HK$420.2 million) to reconstruct the stadium over the next five years, according to reports. Another Chinese firm – Beijing Municipal Road & Bridge Corporation – is said to be handling the reconstruction.

Several Chinese conglomerates have moved to invest in top overseas football clubs after President Xi Jinping showed great interest in boosting the football business in the world’s most populous country.

Five major football club deals last year involved Chinese corporations. One of the highest-profile deals involved Recon Group, owned by Chinese businessman Tony Xia Jiantong, who invested £60 million (HK$603.2 million) to acquire a 100 per cent stake in English championship club Aston Villa last May.

In 2015, Wang Jianlin, founder of real estate developer Wanda Group, bought a 20 per cent share of Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid for €45 million. Later that same year, a consortium led by state-backed China Media Capital took a US$400 million (HK$3.1 billion) stake in Manchester City.

But these big purchases have caused the central government to worry about capital outflow and the depreciation of the Chinese yuan. At the end of last year, the Chinese authorities said they intended to clamp down on such acquisitions, accusing domestic companies of transferring assets overseas under the cover of foreign club acquisition.

CAS alllowes Real Madrid youth players to play despite transfer ban

Lausanne – The Spanish club Real Madrid CF has informed the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that it will file an appeal within the next days against the decision rendered by the FIFA Appeals Committee on 8 September 2016, confirming the decision previously taken by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on 23 July 2015, following an alleged breach of the FIFA Rules concerning the transfer of minor players.

 

Pursuant to such FIFA decision, Real Madrid is prevented from registering any players at national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods. Prior to the filing of the appeal, Real Madrid CF has requested urgent interim measures from CAS in order to stay the execution of Point 6 of the FIFA decision. Such request was granted by CAS earlier today. Accordingly, only Point 6 of the decision is suspended, pending the outcome of the appeal due to be filed with the CAS in the coming days. The other elements of the FIFA decision remain in force for the time being.

 

Point 6 of the FIFA decision reads as follows.

 

Real Madrid CF is granted with a term of 90 days to regularize the situation of the minors within the club. In particular the club shall present, without further delay, the relevant requests to the Subcommittee appointed by the Player’s Status Committee and comply with all the relevant rules and regulations with respect to the specific cases. Should the club obtain the approval of the subcommittee for registration/transfer of a player, the club shall be exempt of the prohibition imposed by the present decision for the registration/transfer of the authorized minor

Versatile Canadian-born ESPN sportscaster John Saunders dies at 61

Tributes poured in Wednesday for Canadian-born sportscaster John Saunders, the original voice of the Toronto Raptors and a fixture for nearly 30 years on ESPN in the U.S., after the network announced that he had died.

He was 61.

Saunders, who was born in Toronto and grew up near Montreal, joined ESPN in 1986 after working for a variety of stations in central and eastern Canada. He was the play-by-play announcer on Raptors games from 1995 to 2001.

The former college hockey player who was at ease broadcasting a variety of subjects hosted “The Sports Reporters” on Sunday for ESPN for the last 15 years.

“I think you’d have a hard time finding anyone to say anything bad about John,” said Leo Rautins, the former NBA player who worked with Saunders on Raptors broadcasts. “He was very giving, very caring, very intelligent.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement saying he was “deeply saddened” by the news.

“John was a vital member of the NBA family for more than two decades and was a friendly and familiar face to our players and fans,” Silver said.

An NHL statement said the league “mourns the passing of John Saunders, a genuine friend of hockey.”

Saunders, an original member of ESPN’s SportsCenter crew, called play-by-play for U.S. college and WNBA games, hosted NHL playoff games from 1993 to 2004, Baseball Tonight from 1990 to 1993 and the World Series from 1990 to 1992.

He also hosted the Rendez-Vous ’87 hockey series in Quebec City between the NHL and the Soviets.

His work with ABC televison included hosting NCAA basketball and football and contributing to Wide World of Sports.

Saunders got his start as news director at CKNS Radio in Espanola, Ont., in 1978. He worked as sports anchor at CKNY-TV in North Bay, Ont., from 1978 to 1979 and at ATV News in New Brunswick in 1979-80 before he became sports anchor for CITY-TV in Toronto from 1980 to 1982.

“He was very proud to be Canadian,” said Rautins. “He’d mention it every time he could.”

Saunders worked as a sports anchor at WMAR-TV in Baltimore from 1982 to 1986 before joining ESPN.

As a youth, his sport was hockey. Saunders earned a scholarship from Western Michigan University, where he played defence from 1974-76, before transferring to Ryerson in Toronto, where he was an OUAA all-star. His younger brother, Bernie, played 10 NHL games as a forward for the Quebec Nordiques from 1979 to 1981.

Saunders lived in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., with his wife, Wanda. They had two daughters, Aleah and Jenna. Jenna Saunders recently graduated from Ryerson, while Aleah issued a tweet that said: “How are you supposed to process something like this? I’ll tell you. By hearing the world cry with you. RIP Daddy. Your girl loves you.”

No cause of death was given by the network.

Rautins said it was widely known that Saunders suffered from diabetes.

He recalled how his broadcast partner would say “if I don’t call you, don’t worry” when he had a bout of low blood sugar. While it drove producers crazy, he always managed to turn up on time, ready to work.

Rautins said Saunders once left just before a game to get his medication.

“He disappeared just before we were going on air,” said Rautins. “They were literally counting down the seconds” before Saunders made it back in the nick of time, saying with complete calm: “My blood sugar was low, don’t worry.”

It seems it was less known that he also suffered from depression.

A book Saunders co-authored with John U. Bacon on his life and struggles with depression is scheduled for publication by Da Capo Press in April 2017. A summary on Amazon.ca of “Playing Hurt: My Journey From Despair To Hope” said the book was about “a leading figure in the sports world—the quintessential ‘man’s man’ who seems to have it all—confesses his constant battle with depression and how it nearly cost him his life. John Saunders — stellar athlete and respected sportscaster — welcomes readers into the heart of his desperate struggle against depression.”

ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement that “John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades. His wide range of accomplishments across numerous sports and championship events is among the most impressive this industry has ever seen.”

Former New York Rangers president and general manager Neil Smith tweeted: “One of saddest days of my life today as I grieve suddenly losing my best friend of 42 years, John Saunders. Life will never be the same.”

Saunders was a founding member of the board of directors for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a charity started by ESPN after former college basketball coach and announcer Jim Valvano died of cancer in 1993. He also promoted efforts against juvenile diabetes.

— With files from The AP

India’s red light youngsters’ journey from Kolkata to Denmark

Kolkata, India: July 25th 2016- In a break from training for one of the world’s largest football tournaments, Yakub Ali swells with pride at the idea of putting a smile on the face of his mother back in Asia’s biggest red light district.

“We’ve grown used to people sneering about where we come from and telling us that our mothers are worthless,” says 15-year-old Yakub. “So this will be a gift to all of our mothers who have to put up with discrimination, abuse and injustice every day of their life in Sonagachi.”

Yakub is one of eight sons of sex workers living in Kolkata’s notorious Sonagachi neighbourhood, who is heading to Denmark later this month to take part in the Dana Cup, an international youth tournament.

His Durbar Sports Academy teammates also include youngsters drawn from other slum areas in India’s eastern metropolis.

They will join hundreds of teams taking part in the tournament, which runs from July 26-30.

PHOTO: AFP

The tournament in the northern town of Hjorring will include teams of boys and girls from every corner of the globe, but few will surely match the raw desire to prove their worth than the Durbar line-up.

The academy is overseen by the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a charity organisation which works for the welfare of Indian prostitutes and also runs Asia’s first cooperative for sex workers.

Situated around 40 kilometers south of Kolkata, the academy gives underprivileged youngsters an opportunity to let their hair down far away from the narrow alleys and squalid apartments of Sonagachi.

An estimated 8,000 sex workers ply their trade in Sonagachi which is home to several hundred brothels, gaining it the reputation as the largest single red light zone in Asia.

PHOTO: AFP

Smarajit Jena, a public health scientist who founded DMSC, said the boys were routinely treated as pariahs in Sonagachi and often found themselves with no one to turn to when they encounter challenges in their daily life.

“The kind of loneliness that the children of sex workers have to endure is hard to describe. They are treated as untouchables,” Jena told AFP. “Most of them end up dropping out of school because of the stigma, so we need something to focus on and bring them back into the mainstream.”

Yakub, a centre-forward, said he had “cried tears of joy” when the team managed to qualify for Denmark. The cost of the trip is being underwritten by several Indian and international corporations.

“Football has opened doors for boys like us to prove our worth,” the teenager said. “We got a taste for victory when we won our league in Kolkata last year, but now we are only looking forward.”

Yakub says he never goes anywhere without a picture of his hero Lionel Messi in his pocket, but acknowledges that he will have to temper his inclination to go on mazy runs like his Argentine hero.

PHOTO: AFP

“We are training hard and trying to stay focused.. We are being trained to perform like a finely-tuned orchestra rather than as a solo act,” he explains.

While cricket is the number one sport in India, Kolkata is often regarded as the premier football city and it is just as common to see youngsters kicking a ball on the streets as wielding a bat.

The coach of the academy, Biswajit Majumdar, said the boys’ determination to triumph against the odds made them a joy to work with on the training field.

“It’s wonderful that the boys dare to dream,” Majumdar told AFP. “They are often treated badly and have to put up with nasty comments, but they have a never-say-die attitude and hunger for success, which you can’t help but be inspired by.”

Majumdar said that his charges would have to make sacrifices to maintain their focus while in Denmark and ensure that they do themselves proud.

“We have taken away their cell phones to minimise any distractions,” he said.

“My task is to make use of that fire in their belly, so they push themselves even harder in training and so they can achieve their goals.”

AFP

Euro 2016-Griezmann make sure final birth for France

Football Soccer – Germany v France – EURO 2016 – Semi Final – Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France – 7/7/16 Germany’s Manuel Neuer attempts to claim the ball leading to France’s Antoine Griezmann scoring their second goal REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Livepic

Stade Velodrome  Marseille, France 7th July 2016: Two-goal Antoine Griezmann fired France into the Euro 2016 final on Thursday when a smash and grab 2-0 victory over a territorially dominant Germany ended 58 years of tournament suffering at the hands of their neighbours.

Griezmann drove in a penalty at the end of the first half after a needless handball by German captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and poked home in the 72nd minute following a blunder by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to set up a final against Portugal in Paris on Sunday.

“We are as happy as kids, the whole country is behind us,” Griezmann said.

“This is the result of a group and of a lot of hard work from the staff. Now we’re in the final and we want to lift that trophy. Playing a final is great but it’s winning it that counts.”

World champions Germany dominated the match in terms of possession but their lack of a deadly finisher cost them and razor-sharp Griezmann, whose double took his tournament-leading tally to six, was the difference.

It was the first time France had beaten Germany in a competitive match since the 1958 World Cup, including defeats in the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and the quarter-finals two years ago.

The hosts will go into the final as strong favourites to emulate the teams of 1984 and 1998, who won the European and world titles on home soil.

Germany will wonder how they failed to score but, after Jerome Boateng’s handball gaveItaly a lifeline in the quarter-finals, their captain’s similarly inexplicable high hand swung the game France’s way when they most needed it.

France, roared on in a fantastic atmosphere, had torn forward in the opening exchanges.