Premier League
MOURINHO STILL FUMING OVER LOSS ON NEW YEAR DAY
Jose Mourinho called one of Southampton’s backroom staff an idiot, accused the St Mary’s ballboys of being coached to waste time, and said that the VAR (video assistant referee) should be rebranded, as his Tottenham side lost Harry Kane to a hamstring injury in a dispiriting 1-0 defeat.
The Spurs manager admitted he was booked for being rude to goalkeeping coach, Andrew Sparkes, after venturing into the home dugout to air his frustration at what he felt were time-wasting tactics.
“I think the yellow card is fair because I was rude, but I was rude to an idiot,” he said following the Premier League match on Wednesday.
“For some reason I was rude. I was, and because I was rude, I deserve the yellow card.
“Basically, I had bad words with the guy.”
Spurs lost to a spectacular Danny Ings goal but Mourinho was fuming over a potential foul on midfielder Dele Alli inside the box in the first half that was not assessed by the VAR.
He said: “The VAR should change their name because ‘video assistant referee’, that’s not true. It should be VR, video referees, because they are the referees.
“It is strange because you see the referees on the pitch and they are not the referees, they are the assistant referees. The other guys (in VAR), they are the ones that make the big decisions in the game.”
The 56-year-old also turned his ire on the Saints’ ballboys.
“The second half was not easy,” he said. “They were winning, they were defending basically with 10 players, fighting hard and being aggressive, a good aggressive, with lots of fouls.
“Lots of (times), the match stopped and the ballboys were well coached in the delaying of the game and there was not much play.”
While the extent of Kane’s late hamstring problem is unknown, Mourinho bemoaned another injury suffered by £55 million (S$98 million) summer signing Tanguy Ndombele, who was forced off after 25 minutes.
“He’s always injured,” the Spurs boss said of the Frenchman. “He plays one match, next week he is injured.
“He plays very well against Norwich, you are full of hope that he is ready for it, but he is not. It is a situation that we have had since the beginning of the season.”
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- OBITUARY6 days ago
BREAKING: Nigerian Goalkeeping Legend Peter Rufai is dead
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Football Agent John Shittu Demands Retraction and ₦250 Million Damages from Samson Siasia Over Bribery Allegation
- WAFCON4 days ago
Nigeria, Tunisia Set for High-Stakes WAFCON 2024 Clash in Casablanca
- OBITUARY6 days ago
Peter Rufai looked lean when I last saw him, says mourning NFF President, Gusau
- OBITUARY4 days ago
Peter Rufai and I, Ike Shorunmu, pays tribute to late mentor
- OBITUARY6 days ago
Family issues statement on Peter Rufai
- WAFCON3 days ago
WAFCON 2024: At last, Super Falcons break opening match losing streak
- IMMEMORIAL6 days ago
Peter Rufai’s Death Adds to Long List of July Tragedies in Nigerian Football