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There’s nothing really on line in this series, but given it’s a World Cup year, maybe everything is

Firdose Moonda15-Mar-2023After a Test series played against the backdrop of an increasing awareness and discomfort with the next FTP, South Africa and West Indies enter another series which raises scheduling concerns: the context-less ODI rubber. Get used to it – they’re back and, at the conclusion of this World Cup Super League, (WCSL) they’re here to stay.For reasons unknown, the league will be scrapped after the 2023 World Cup and qualification for the next 50-over tournament reverts to rankings. In theory, that should place some importance on every bilateral contest; in practice, we’ve seen it all before. As T20 leagues grow and Tests continue to form part of a championship, the middle child of ODIs is likely to suffer and this series is an example of what that could look like.South Africa and West Indies have nothing to play for except new starts, which, at least gives some narrative to the next six days.Related

West Indies to have separate red-ball and white-ball coaches for men's team

Mulder out of West Indies ODIs, Parnell named replacement

Maharaj in danger of missing ODI World Cup with Achilles injury

If ODIs feel irrelevant now, just wait till the next FTP cycle

For South Africa, it’s their first outing under new white-ball coach Rob Walter, who communicated with them from afar during their WCSL series against England while he wrapped up work with Hamilton’s Central Districts team. Walter is coming home, to a country where he started his cricket career as a fitness trainer and left as a successful franchise coach, to take up a new challenge in New Zealand. It proved exactly that, and he came up with no trophies, but plenty of experience that he will have to use to rebuild South Africa in their worst format. Under Mark Boucher, the 50-over side underperformed to the point where they are at risk of not securing automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup. That’s Walter’s mess to clean up.He will have his best players at his disposal when they go into two must-win matches against Netherlands from March 31. For now, he has some important selection decisions to make, after Kagiso Rabada and Aiden Markram were rested, David Miller was allowed to finish his stint at the IPL, and injuries have wormed their way into the camp.They lost Keshav Maharaj, whose year has been thrown into disarray after he ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon when celebrating a wicket in the second Test, leaving his chances of making the 2023 World Cup slim, and Wiaan Mulder, to a side strain before traveling to East London.Once there, replacement allrounder Wayne Parnell fell ill but managed to train on the eve of the first match and will be needed because Andile Phehlukwayo has back spasms and Sisanda Magala has split the webbing on his right hand. That leaves Lungi Ngidi to lead the attack, and gives Tabraiz Shamsi the opportunity to reclaim his spot as the premier spinner. Meanwhile, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs are all in line for ODI debuts.The revolving door of white-ball players may suggest a haphazard strategy in a World Cup year but given the difficulties South Africa’s ODI squad has been through, they need to trial selections, before they have to make them count.”We’ll be using this opportunity against West Indies to refine our way of playing,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain said. “Our priority will always be to win the series but also our efforts to widen the pool and give guys opportunities. This is a big year from a 50-over point of view. That format is probably the main priority.”West Indies enter this series with a new captain in Shai Hope•Associated PressWest Indies are in a similar, and perhaps slightly worse position. They enter this series with a new captain Shai Hope, and an interim coach Andre Coley, whose position will soon be split in two. Like South Africa, they will appoint a red-ball coach who will oversee their scant Test schedule and develop first-class players, and a white-ball manager to head up the ODI and T20 squad. The latter’s job could begin in time for the World Cup Qualifiers, which West Indies are all-but-certain to participate in.West Indies are currently eighth on the WCSL points’ table and have played all their matches which means they will be leapfrogged by one or both of South Africa and Sri Lanka and will have to play in Zimbabwe in June to make it to the World Cup. That thought won’t scare them as much as it does the other two teams because West Indies have been there, done that and qualified before. So for them, this series does have the value of offering them preparatory time, a dry-run of sorts, under Hope and a different style of playing.”It’s a new journey,” he said. “And we need to improve in all areas. We all need to come together and find the right formula because we definitely need to qualify for that World Cup. Everything we do now is geared towards that.”After losing 15 of their 24 WCSL games, including series to Bangladesh and Irelands, and losing two of their last 10 series dating back to January 2021, it’s fair to say things have not exactly clicked and Hope’s wish that they can discover a winning brand is the first step to approaching the qualifiers. They’ll rely heavily on former captain Jason Holder, who was their best player in the Tests and continues to carry an inordinate amount of burden in the side. Far from seeing it as too much to bear, Holder has spoken of his love for playing with this particular group, and his desire that they grow together. The onus will be on Shannon Gabriel, Akeal Hosein, and Kyle Mayers – all experienced in years but not in matches – to step up, because even though there are no points on the line, there is something perhaps a little more important.”We are playing for international pride and all those people back in the Caribbean, and even all around the world, who support West Indies,” Hope said. “Whenever you cross that line, your aim is to win games so everything must be geared to that, everything must go into the middle.”With nothing really on the line, maybe everything is.

Through basic control and bowling smarts, Chahal delivered a match-turning performance

Saurabh Somani26-Jul-20210:58

I backed myself before coming on this tour – Chahal

Since India turned to wristspinners in the white-ball formats in the second half of 2017, Yuzvendra Chahal had been a regular fixture in the playing XIs, in both ODIs and T20Is. However, after the 2019 World Cup, both Chahal and fellow wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav were no longer able to command a spot in the first XI. The Covid-19 pandemic meant India’s squads were split, with Chahal being a more reliable inclusion in the limited-overs side playing in Sri Lanka. It was in Sri Lanka that Chahal established himself as a regular in the playing XI, and returning there has also seen the form of old return.Chahal was full of fizz in the first two ODIs, rested in the third since India had sealed the series, and went up a notch in the opening T20I on Sunday. In the ODIs, he had been thrown the ball after good starts by Sri Lanka, and invariably offered India greater control. He did the same thing in the first T20I, only better. Brought on immediately after the powerplay with Sri Lanka 46 for 1, Chahal bamboozled Dhananjaya de Silva with a delivery of a legspinner’s dreams. A loopy delivery that was so perfect it could have represented an equation, teasing drift, hitting the perfect length on leg, and then ripping across the batter to knock out off stump.That would be Chahal’s only wicket in the game, but his figures read 4-0-19-1. The bare numbers are impressive enough, but in terms of Smart Economy – which is arrived at after taking into account the stage of the match a bowler has bowled in and the batters bowled to – Chahal’s was an astounding 2.69, easily the best in the game for any bowler that delivered more than one over.Chahal could tie Sri Lanka down not just by skill, but by smarts too. He was bowling with a shorter leg-side boundary to the right-hand batters, and therefore didn’t bowl a single googly to them. Not just that, he maintained control of his line immaculately too. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, of the 13 balls Chahal bowled to right-hand batters, three were on the stumps and 10 were outside off stump. Not a single ball down leg. Of the 11 balls bowled to left-hand batters, seven were on the stumps, not giving them room to target the off side, which was the shorter boundary.Yuzvendra Chahal provided plenty of control with figures of 4-0-19-1.•ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images”The end I was bowling from, the leg side boundary was shorter and they were looking to hit that side,” Chahal said after the match. “That’s why I didn’t bowl googlies to the right-handers. I didn’t want to give them confidence, I thought that if I can bowl a lot of dot balls, pressure will build. So even if I don’t get a wicket, my partner from the other end can bowl more freely. If I had tried to go for wickets, or tried something extra, and they had hit a six or four, the pressure would have automatically come on us, because the total wasn’t so big. So I bowled more googlies to the left-handers. I kept mixing it up.”Chahal gave up seven runs in his first two overs, and an asking rate that was 7.66 before he came on, had ballooned to 10.00, with Sri Lanka having also lost two wickets inside three overs. Just before his final over, Charith Asalanka had taken debutant Varun Chakravarthy for 14 runs, giving Sri Lanka a set-up for a final-overs charge. On came Chahal for the 15th over. He conceded just three runs, varying pace, adjusting length if the batter moved and keeping the ball out of their hitting reach. ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats had Sri Lanka’s win probability at 40.47% before Chahal’s last over. After he bowled, it had dropped to 22.92. He said his job was “to control the middle overs”, which is exactly what he provided to India.Getting the fizz back in his bowling was the result of spending time during the pandemic-enforced lockdown with coaches, and with Haryana team-mate Jayant Yadav, whom Chahal bounced ideas off.”When I was not playing, I was working with my bowling coach, about where I should bowl, why I was not able to perform in a couple of matches. During the lockdown, I did single-wicket bowling, practiced with my friends,” Chahal said.Yuzvendra Chahal’s only wicket in the first T20I was of Dhananjaya de Silva with a ripping legbreak•SLC”I didn’t want to make too many changes. I thought about which lines I should focus on, whether to go wider or go stump to stump. I sat with (Bharat) Arun sir, there is Paras (Mhambrey) sir here and Rahul (Dravid) sir, so I sat with them, saw videos to see what am I missing? I have been doing well, but it was not happening in a couple of matches. During the lockdown, before this tour, I couldn’t really go much to cricket grounds due to Covid-19 restrictions. But the three-four sessions I got in my hometown, I went and practiced. Jayant Yadav was there, I’ve been playing with him since childhood, so we practiced together. I spoke to him also, and things started from there. The main thing was that the more confident I can be while bowling, the better I will be able to bowl.”Related

• Krunal Pandya tests positive for Covid-19, second T20I against Sri Lanka postponed by a day

• Bhuvneshwar, Chahar, Chahal help India defend below-par 164

For Chahal, it was important to do well in this series, given the depth of options India have to choose from. In this squad alone, among pure spinners, Rahul Chahar is on the sidelines as another promising legspinner, while Kuldeep and Chakravarthy are around too.”Definitely when your bench strength is so good that you have a pool of 30 players overall, it is a boost, and you get quality there,” Chahal said. “All spinners are doing well. You know that for your spot, there are already two people ready, who have already performed in the IPL, here. My focus when I play is that I should perform whenever I play. If you perform (well), then you get to play. You can stay in the team only with performance. When I bowl, I keep my mind clear, I don’t think of ‘this guy has done this, that guy has done that’. My mind is on the fact that I have the ball, and what I need to do now.”Chahal is likely to face sterner challenges after the current T20I series, with the twin behemoths of IPL and the T20 World Cup later this year. If he can continue to employ the skill and nous he has regained in Sri Lanka, there will be more happy days ahead for him and his team.

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Uma das maiores promessas da campeã base do Palmeiras, o lateral-direito Gilberto estendeu o seu vínculo com o Maior Campeão do Brasil e falou com exclusividade com o Lance!

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

No Verdão desde 2017, Gilberto tinha contrato com o clube até o final desta temporada e assinou um novo contrato que agora é válido até março de 2026.

– É um sonho de criança que está sendo cada vez mais realizado. Renovar o contrato com o Palmeiras é muito gratificante, já que terei a oportunidade de seguir minha caminhada no clube que transformou a minha vida e da minha família, sigo muito focado para entregar o meu melhor em campo, batendo muitas faltas, fazendo muitos gols e ajudando o time da melhor forma – disse o lateral-direito do Sub-20.

continua após a publicidade

Com uma batida diferenciada na bola, Gilberto se destaca pelas assistências nos cruzamentos e os gols de falta no time de Lucas Andrade.

Gilberto fez parte das últimas duas campanhas do Palmeiras na Copinha, inclusive sendo titular em alguns jogos da campanha do título de 2023.

UP Warriorz head coach was “very surprised” to bag Sophie Ecclestone for INR 85 lakh, as he expected her to go for 1.50 crore

Daya Sagar28-Nov-20253:39

Karim: ‘Getting Lanning a masterstroke by UPW’

Coming into the WPL 2026 auction with the leanest squad and hence the biggest purse, UP Warriorz (UPW) made some heads turn by buying Shikha Pandey for a whopping INR 2.40 crore, using the RTM (right to match) option for Deepti Sharma, whom they had released earlier, and getting England’s left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for just INR 85 lakh. Their new head coach Abhishek Nayar, who takes over from Jon Lewis from the upcoming season, said they wanted Pandey for her experience and using the RTM for the Indian names was always their plan.”[Shikha] came for the trials. She is an experienced player and we wanted her experience of having played in high-pressure tournaments,” Nayar told ESPNcricinfo after the auction in Delhi on Thursday. “Her numbers in the WPL are the best among Indian pace bowlers in the last three years, be it in the powerplay or death overs.”We wanted experience in those aspects. Kranti Gaud is a young and exciting player, but like I said we wanted experience.”Pandey last played a T20I for India in February 2023 and has since been playing in T20 franchise leagues around the world such as the WPL, the Women’s CPL and the WBBL. Even though she currently doesn’t have a WBBL deal, she recently played all four games for Trinbago Knight Riders in the WCPL and finished as their top wicket-taker with five scalps and an economy rate of 6.73. Overall, she was joint-third on the wicket-taking charts.Related

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Like Nayar said, Pandey is the top wicket-taker among Indian pace bowlers in the three seasons of WPL, with a tally of 30 (and economy rate of 6.96), just behind Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 32. The next Indian fast bowler on the list is Arundhati Reddy with 14 wickets. Pandey, Gaud, Tara Norris of USA, and allrounder Deandra Dottin will be the pace-bowling options for UPW.Leading their spin attack will be Deepti and Ecclestone, along with Asha Sobhana, Georgia Wareham and allrounder Chloe Tryon among the other options. While UPW splurged INR 3.2 crore on Deepti, Mumbai Indians spent INR 3 crore on Amelia Kerr, Asha fetched INR 1.1 crore and Georgia Wareham INR 1 crore (from RCB) – all spinners – it came as a surprise to many that Ecclestone got a top bid of just INR 85 lakh, despite being the No. 1 ODI bowler and No. 4 T20I bowler in the ICC rankings.”I was very surprised, everyone was surprised,” Nayar said of Ecclestone’s price. “I thought she would go for something like 1.5 crore. But we got her for a great deal at just 85 lakh. But that’s how the auction works – sometimes you pay less, sometimes more. So I’ve very happy overall.”Even before using the RTM for Ecclestone, UPW used that option for Deepti, who led them earlier this season in the absence of Alyssa Healy. While their decision to release Deepti before the auction might have been surprising, using the RTM for her was not.

“We wanted a big purse in the auction, that’s it,” Nayar said. “The first retention price was 3.5 crore, we got her in 3.2 [at the auction]. So, there is still some money saved and we can get an extra player. Getting someone like Pratika Rawal, though she is injured, has become possible.”So the mindset was we are going to get her (Deepti), that is the advantage of having the RTM. If we didn’t have the RTM, I think things would be different but we were very confident with the RTM, we just wanted to try and use it in the auction.”UPW went into the auction with four RTM options and used them on Deepti, Ecclestone, Gaud and Kiran Navgire, but not on Healy, who was the first name to come up in the mega auction and she eventually went unsold. UPW filled the opening slot with former Australia captain Meg Lanning, the third-highest run-scorer in the WPL, behind Sciver-Brunt and Ellyse Perry. They also picked Phoebe Litchfield, whom Lanning has earmarked as a future captaincy candidate for Australia. Will Lanning and Litchfield open together for UPW?”Meg is a leader, we all know,” Nayar said. “Phoebe is also a kind of a leader, we think. She can add a lot of value to the team. She is a fearless cricketer and she can play 360 (degree cricket) or 180. So we were very excited to have someone like that potential and I feel really good to buy her with that money (INR 1.20 crore). But right now we can’t say that they both are going to open for us. If we reveal that here in this interview, teams will already be making strategies about it .”Another opening batter UPW bought was India’s ODI opener Rawal, who was prolific in the recent World Cup-winning campaign at the top with Smriti Mandhana, but is yet to make her T20I and WPL debut. She picked up an injury while fielding in India’s last league game in the World Cup and missed the knockouts after that, and may not be fit in time to play the WPL too.”When you buy a good player there’s no guarantee that she will be fit or not for the season,” Nayar said. “We know that she is not fit right now but we also know that if there’s a superstar rising through Indian cricket, it’s Pratika Rawal. Like I said earlier our attempt was to get those players who can play for India in the long run, are potential superstars, and who can become the face of this franchise. That was an important thing to do because that will be an advantage for the next retention cycle after two years.”

Do Arsenal lack attacking firepower?

The arrival of Viktor Gyökeres this summer was supposed to end the Gunners’ search for a centre-forward but, so far, the Swede has scored just four Premier League goals, with supporters yet to be truly convinced by their new number nine.

The Swede, as well as Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are all likely to remain sidelined ahead of Sunday’s North London derby, meaning Mikel Merino will continue as the makeshift centre-forward.

So, could Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta address this issue in January by targeting “one of the best strikers in Europe”?

Arsenal searching for more attacking firepower

The January transfer window is often a quiet one for Arsenal, albeit they have pulled off some memorable winter signings down the years.

Nacho Monreal, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, Leandro Trossard and Andrey Arshavin all arrived in various Januarys, as did current club captain Ødegaard, albeit the most exciting mid-season addition surely remains Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined from Borussia Dortmund for £56m in January 2018.

So now, in a deal that would be very reminiscent, reports in Spain claim that Arsenal are ‘seriously considering’ a January move for another Dortmund centre-forward, this time Serhou Guirassy.

They claim that the Guinea international has a €50m release clause (around £44m) in his contract, making him an attractive proposition for any potential suitors, including Arsenal.

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Former national team head coach Kaba Diawara is the only Guinean to ever feature for Arsenal, scoring zero goals in 14 appearances in 1999, infamously hitting the woodwork with pretty much every shot he took, so Guirassy would certainly surpass that legacy, should he swap North Rhine-Westphalia for North London.

How Serhou Guirassy would repeat Aubameyang's success

When Aubameyang joined Arsenal, he was 28 years old and had just scored 141 goals in 213 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, winning the previous season’s DFB-Pokal, scoring the winning penalty against Eintracht Frankfurt in the final at Olympiastadion.

Once at Arsenal, the Gabonese international netted 92 times in 163 outings, sharing the Premier League golden boot in 2018/19, while only five players have ever scored more goals for the Gunners in the competition.

For those wondering, this quintet are: Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Robin van Persie, Dennis Bergkamp and Olivier Giroud.

Now 36, Aubameyang is proving that goal-scoring instincts never fade, having netted six times for Olympique de Marseille already this season, most recently breaking the deadlock during Friday night’s 5-1 demolition of Nice, having also scored when les Phocéens crushed Ajax 4-0 at Stade Vélodrome in the Champions League in September.

So, with Gyökers earning mixed reviews, Arsenal might just lack a striker with that killer instinct, but could that be Guirassy?

Well, let’s compare his and Aubameyang’s time at Borussia Dortmund to see if he would be able to replicate the ex-Gunners star’s career?

Appearances

50

46

Minutes

4,244

3,959

Goals

38

40

UCL Goals

13

7

Assists

9

5

Shots per 90

2.9

3.4

Shots on target per 90

1.8

2.2

Shot accuracy %

60.54%

63.11%

Big chances missed

31

32

% of touches in the box

15.9%

20.5%

As the table documents, Guirassy’s form last season is remarkably similar to that of Aubameyang during his final campaign with die Schwarzgelben.

​​​​​​​

The current Dortmund centre-forward scored two fewer goals than peak Aubameyang, albeit he did net 13 times in last season’s Champions League, thereby picking up the competition’s golden boot.

Other numbers that are similar are the pair’s shots per 90, shooting accuracy and the percentage of their touches that come in the opposition’s penalty area, while the duo both missed more than 30 Opta-defined big chances, which, statistically speaking, is a lot!

Nevertheless, Guirassy’s form at Westfalenstadion​​​​​​​ led to Germany’s all-time record appearance holder Lothar Matthäus asserting that he has become “one of the best strikers in Europe”, underlining how highly rated he is by regular Bundesliga observers.

Thus, should Guirassy arrive at Arsenal in January, he would undeniably have a massive impact, one that could fire Arteta’s team to that elusive first Premier League title in 22 years.

Rice & Merino hybrid: Berta now exploring Arsenal move for £70m "monster"

Declan Rice & Mikel Merino remain two of Arsenal’s most important players, so is Andrea Berta now targeting a monster hybrid of of the two worth £70m?

ByBen Gray Nov 21, 2025

شن فلورنيتنو بيريز، رئيس نادي ريال مدريد الإسباني، هجومًا لاذعًا تجاه خافيير تيباس، رئيس رابطة أندية الدوري الإسباني بعد الأزمات المتتالية الأخيرة التي حدثت للمسابقة.

وكانت هيئة التحكيم الرياضي قررت فتح تحقيق، أمس الجمعة، مع رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، خافيير تيباس، عقب شكوى قدمها المجلس الرياضي الإسباني في 20 أكتوبر الماضي.

وتحدث بيريز حول إصراره على عدم قيام مباراة برشلونة وفياريال التي كان مقرر إقامتها في مدينة ميامي الأمريكية لكن بعد ذلك تراجعت رابطة الدوري عن هذا القرار.

وقال بيريز، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “ليس من الطبيعي أن يُريد رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباني فرض مباراة علينا في ميامي، وهو أمر قائد برشلونة فرينكي دي يونج، لا يراه طبيعيًا”.

وأضاف: “كما أنه ليس من الطبيعي أن تدعم رابطة الدوري الإسباني فريقين، برشلونة وفياريال، بحوافز مالية إضافية للعب في ميامي ثم علينا أن نستمع إلى تيباس وهو يُقارن المباراة بمحاولة اتحاد كرة القدم الأمريكية الفاشلة للعب في ميامي، كانت مباراة اتحاد كرة القدم الأمريكية قانونية ومتوافقة مع قواعد المسابقة، وحظيت بدعم الجميع لكنك لم تفُز حتى بدعم الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، إنها ليست سوى مقامرة فاشلة وليس من الطبيعي أن يتقاضى الدوري الإسباني ستة أضعاف سعر الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز”.

وأكمل عن تيباس: “لا أعتقد أنه من الطبيعي أن يكون رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباني نائبًا لرئيس الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم، وأريد أن أخبركم بشيء لم يكن معروفًا، الرئيس عرض عليّ منصبًا كعضو في الاتحاد لكنني قُلت له أنت لا تعرفني، هذا كل شيء”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بيريز يحيي مودريتش وأنشيلوتي ويصرح: ألونسو يمثل قيم ريال مدريد

وتابع: “من غير الطبيعي أيضًا أن تستمر رابطة الليجا في خسارة الملايين من أموالها بسبب فشل متحف الأساطير وهو ما يُفترض أن يُبرر الاستثمار في الإعلام، هناك وسائل إعلام تم إنشائها لغرض وحيد هو الإضرار بريال مدريد، والمقلق أكثر أنها تفعل ذلك بطريقة غامضة، رئيسهم رفض إخبارنا بهذه المعلومات”.

وعن مستوى التحكيم الإسباني، استطرد: “مستوى التحكيم الإسباني غير مقبول أيضًا، من العار ألا يختار الفيفا أيًا من الحكام الإسبانيين الخمسة والثلاثين لإدارة المباريات، وبالطبع من غير المقبول أيضًا أن يدفع برشلونة لأي سبب كان أكثر من 8 ملايين يورو لنائب رئيس رابطة الحكام لمدة 17 عامًا على الأقل، شغل مناصب مهمة وهذه الفترة تتزامن بالمناسبة مع أفضل نتائج برشلونة في بلدنا”.

وحول اتفاقية CVC المتعلقة بتسجيل اللاعبين: “أدركت العديد من الأندية أن خسارة جزء من دخلها لمدة 50 عامًا سيُعرض مستقبلها للخطر بسبب اتفاقية CVC، نتوقع إلغاء هذه الاتفاقية قضائيًا وقد رفعت أندية مدريد وبرشلونة وأتلتيك بلباو دعاوى قضائية ضدها ويؤسفني القول أن برشلونة عارضها أيضًا لكنه تخلى عن القضية بسهولة عندما تمكن من تسجيل اللاعبين بفضل رابطة الدوري الإسباني”.

وأتم: “أرغب في أن أدلي ببعض التعليقات الإضافية، الآن عليهم تحديد المسؤوليات المناسبة، لقد تصرف رئيس رابطة الليجا بمبادرة شخصية وعليه تحمل المسؤولية، دعونا لا ننسى العار الذي لحق بكيفية التعامل مع احتجاج لاعبي الليجا، لقد شهدنا جميعًا الرقابة المُخزية للرابطة، لا أدري أيهما أكثر عارًا تأخير البث لمدة 30 ثانية أم الاختباء وراء الالتزام بالسلام ولكن أي سلام؟”.

Martin O’Neill has now confirmed that he will “step aside” when Celtic find their next manager and revealed that there has not been any talks with the club about taking a permanent role.

O’Neill insists he has no idea whether he will remain at the helm for Celtic’s next match against St Mirren amid reports that the Hoops have stepped up their search for a new permanent manager.

The 73-year-old has been in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions for the last four games since Brendan Rodgers resigned two and a half weeks ago.

It has been reported this week that the Celtic board have been interviewing candidates, with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy emerging as the new bookmakers’ favourite.

Other names mentioned includes Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town and Kjetil Knutsen. Whether the Hoops can lure either of those names away from their current positions at Portmand Road and Bodo/Glimt is the question that everyone’s asking.

Reports have claimed that Knutsen wants to at least complete his side’s Champions League campaign, which could end in January in the earliest scenario. Meanwhile, there have been no signs that McKenna will be leaving Ipswich anytime soon.

As Celtic’s search goes on, O’Neill has continued to roll back the years. In his four matches, the 73-year-old – assisted by Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham – has overseen two Scottish Premiership victories, a Europa League defeat by Midtjylland and an extra-time win over 10-man Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

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The final against St Mirren takes place on December 14 and there are some who would like to see the veteran remain in charge for the Hampden showdown in order to add to his trophy haul from his glittering first spell in charge in the early Noughties.

O'Neill insists no talks with Celtic board

To no surprise, O’Neill has been questioned a number of times about the Celtic job, but his answer remains the same. He will “step aside” as soon as the club no longer need him and, despite rumours, there have been no talks about the permanent job.

The 4-2-3-1 tactician has done a solid job so far and may yet get the chance to continue that job after the international break, but admitted that he’s not bothered whether he’s in charge for the Scottish Cup final in December, saying: “I am a romantic and have been a romantic all my life. I know the history of football and all of those particular things but that doesn’t bother me one jot.”

Celtic hold talks to sign "talented" manager who's like a young O'Neill

Napoli's head of scouting Maurizio Micheli is reportedly in advanced talks to move to Arsenal to take up a new role with the Premier League side. New sporting director Andrea Berta is continuing to make changes behind the scenes in north London and is keen to bring in the man who signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Napoli. The exciting winger has since been sold to Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth £59 million.

• Arsenal set to land key Napoli scout

  Berta has identified Micheli as a "key appointment" for his team and talks are continuing over a move, as reported by BBC Sport. Micheli is in his second stint with Napoli and is credited with bringing players such as Kvaratskhelia, Marek Hamsik and Kim Min-jae to the club. He has also worked in Serie A with Hellas Verona and Udinese and is widely regarded as one of the best talent spotters in Italy, having also discovered Ghana internationals Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan.

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  Berta getting busy at Arsenal

  Berta arrived at Arsenal after over a decade in La Liga with Atletico Madrid, taking over from Edu at Emirates Stadium. The Italian helped bring the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Jan Oblak, Rodri and Joao Felix to the club and was part of an Atletico set-up that won two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League.

  Arsenal's new man has just overseen his first transfer window at Arsenal which saw the Gunners spend over £255 million ($345.7m) to refresh the squad. Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard all arrived as the north London side splashed the cash.

  Mikel Arteta's side have gone on to enjoy a strong start to the Premier League season. The Gunners currently sit top of the Premier League table, four points clear of nearest challengers Manchester City, and are also in top spot in the Champions League standings.

• Arsenal told Micheli is a 'human algorithm'

  Micheli has been praised for his work in Serie A by former Stefano Caira. He has told fans what to expect from the scout: "I bow to the analysis of Maurizio Micheli, who, for me, is a guru in selecting and knowing players. There isn’t a single player Maurizio signs whose parents, boyfriends, and so on he doesn’t know. He’s a human algorithm, capable of implementing this strategy for years now."

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  Crunch fixtures up next for Arsenal

  Arsenal face a real test of their title credentials when domestic action resume after the international break. Arteta's team return against north London rivals Tottenham and then face Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The game pits the only two teams in the competition still with a 100 per cent record up against each other at the Emirates.

  Arteta's side then face Enzo Maresca's Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 30th, and the results of those games may well offer an indicator of just how far the Gunners can go this season at home and abroad.

  The Arsenal boss is expected to welcome several injured players back for those games, and he admits the break comes at a good time for his team.

  “Now we reset with the international break, get the [international] players back nice and healthy, the ones that are not healthy make sure that they get healthy, and we go again,” he told reporters after seeing his team held to a draw by Sunderland last time out.

  “We’ll look back at what we’ve done, take all of the positive things that we do, the things that we have the opportunity to improve as well and start to plan what is coming because it’s going to be very demanding.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras mais uma vez será alvo de uma cobrança da Fifa por conta de atraso no pagamento da compra de Piquerez. Desta vez o Penãrol procurou a entidade máxima do futebol para ter acesso ao valor da última parcela da transferência do lateral para o clube brasileiro, que venceu em julho. A informação é do Nosso Palestra e foi confirmada pelo Lance!.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasSem poder contar com um dos ‘selecionáveis’, Palmeiras treina na Academia de FutebolPalmeiras13/09/2023PalmeirasLeila consegue medida protetiva contra líderes de torcida organizada do PalmeirasPalmeiras13/09/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras compra percentual de Cria da Academia para ampliar participação nos direitosPalmeiras13/09/2023

+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Piquerez foi contratado em meados de 2021 junto ao clube uruguaio por 3,8 milhões de dólares (R$ 19,77 milhões na cotação da época). O acerto foi feito por meio de parcelamento. Todas os outros vencimentos já foram pagos pelo Verdão, restando esse último no valor de 900 mil dólares (R$ 4,42 milhões).

+ Já pensou em ser um gestor de futebol? Participe da nossa Masterclass com Felipe Ximenes e descubra oportunidades

Segundo apurou a reportagem, houve uma tentativa de acordo do Alviverde para evitar a ida para a Fifa, mas o Peñarol preferiu buscar a entidade, o que acarretará em uma multa e juros, fazendo com que a dívida chegue a cerca de 1 milhão de dólares (R$ 4,92 milhões).

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Com a burocracia e o tempo de julgamento do caso, a tendência é que o veredicto da Fifa saia apenas em 2024, quando efetivamente o Palmeiras terá um prazo para quitar o valor. Se não pagar, pode sofrer punições como a proibição de contratar jogadores em uma janela de transferências.

+ Palmeiras promete pagar em breve a última parcela da compra de Piquerez junto ao Peñarol

A parcela que venceu em 2022 também teve atraso até chegar nos cofres do Peñarol. Tanto é que houve até notificação da Fifa para a quitação de 1 milhão de dólares (R$ 4,84 milhões na cotação da época), mais 100 mil dólares de multa (R$ 484 mil). Assim, o Alviverde se livrou de uma sanção da entidade. Apesar de parecer uma quantia relativamente baixa para um clube da magnitude do Verdão, a alegação foi de problema com fluxo de caixa.

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O lateral-esquerdo está há quase dois anos no Palmeiras, período no qual disputou 110 jogos e marcou cinco gols. Além disso, conquistou seis títulos pelo clube: uma Libertadores (2021), um Brasileirão (2022), dois Paulistas (2022 e 2023), uma Recopa (2022) e uma Supercopa (2023).

Tudo sobre

FifaPalmeiras

Russell Martin accepted full responsibility after another dismal Rangers performance ended with a 1-1 draw at Falkirk, but it may not be enough to save his position at Ibrox.

When striker Bojan Miovski tapped in after 41 minutes, the travelling supporters again turned their ire on the Gers boss and there were repeated chants against the former Southampton manager before and after John McGlynn’s side deservedly levelled in the 73rd minute through substitute Henry Cartwright.

Afterwards Gers fans sat down to attempt to stop the team bus leaving but they were dispersed by police. Images showed that Martin was escorted out of another part of the stadium by security guards before reportedly leaving in a car.

The Ibrox side are in eighth place with one win in seven William Hill Premiership fixtures, 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine behind Celtic and Martin, who described the chants as “character building”, was asked if he was getting enough from the players.

He said: “They’re giving us everything they’ve got. I think they’re really trying. So I have to take responsibility for it, not them.

“There’s been some really honest discussions with them in the dressing room, some frustration with them and each other, but ultimately I’m the one in charge of the team, so I have to accept responsibility. We haven’t had enough wins on days like today, so it’s been a frustrating period.”

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Martin conceded the backing of the Ibrox board is not infinite but remains confident that he can get it right.

He said: “I think it’s the same everywhere. Just this club is intensified and the scrutiny is much higher, the noise is much louder.

“So every draw we’ve had has felt like a defeat because of the stature of this club and what it means and what we have to try and fight for.

“So I can’t answer your question really, you’d have to ask the people above me.

“I feel that the players and the staff are really behind me. I felt really supported by everyone else above me as well, and I can’t dictate whether that changes or not.

“I have to just try and focus on winning football matches (and we can do that) because of what I see every day with the players, how invested they are in it, how hard they run.

“If I felt any differently, I would feel differently here. It probably wouldn’t hurt as much, but I know they’re really trying.”

Martin "on the brink" of Ibrox sack

And Ben Jacobs reports on Sunday evening that Martin “is on the brink of being sacked” the Gers board “expected to make an imminent decision”.

Steven Gerrard and Danny Rohl are both “appreciated” in Glasgow’s South side having been on the shortlist before Martin took charge.